Your Virtual Reality
by Dark Shining Light
Summary: Being trapped in your crush's video game isn't fun, especially when he might not know you're in it. Nalu
1. Start

"**Your Virtual Reality"**

**By Dark Shining Light**

**Pairing: Natsu and Lucy**

**Drama/Adventure mixed with Romance/Fantasy/Mystery**

**Rated T**

**Summary: Feeling ignored Lucy wishes Natsu paid as much attention to her as he did to his video game. Though waking up in said game wasn't what she had in mind. How is she supposed to convince him that she's the real thing and not the avatar he created of her while surviving this fantasy world? Nalu**

(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)

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Pretending to sleep was hard, especially when you currently wanted to punch a classmate in the face.

Natsu kept his head down and eyes closed as he listened to Loke's terrible pick-up lines. Couldn't the idiot take a hint and notice that Lucy didn't want anything to do with him? Sheesh, he's only been rejected like only a million times.

The orange haired teen asked his partner if she would like to accompany him out to dinner (again) and Natsu waited for Lucy to reject him like always.

"Fine."

Her simple answer surprised both males; their eyes widened and revealed that Natsu wasn't asleep; not that Loki or Lucy noticed.

"Really?"

The girl sighed. "Yeah why not? Just text me the details okay?"

"Of course! Dress your best princess because your knight in shining armor is here to rescue you from the clutches of your dull life and introduce you to the wonders of dating yours truly!" Loki stated before walking away and going to brag about it to Gray.

Natsu wasn't sure if he heard Lucy mumble something about Loki being an idiot but he definitely heard her say "Oh! You're awake," which was directed at him.

The pink haired delinquent shot up from his seat. "School's over?" He shouted, getting half of the remaining students' attention. "Finally! See yeah later losers!"

"Natsu!"

Grabbing his bag, he dashed out the door laughing while ignoring Lucy's protests and her calls to wait for her.

* * *

The blonde continued to frown as she walked behind her friend. He refused to have her walking next to him; the moment she would reach his shoulder, Natsu would increase his pace and cause the girl to sprint just to catch up to him.

However, she didn't want to cause a scene and figured it would be easier to ask him at his home.

They reached the small house moments later, and when Natsu opened the front door, he sprinted inside and sat in front of the television that was located in the living room.

"Natsu!"

She watched as he put on his headgear, a device that looked like a set of headphones, and turned on the game system.

Lucy groaned angrily; she tossed her bag on a dirty couch before she marched into the kitchen, and slammed her hands on the counter. "Idiot!"

The girl took a few deep breathes. After a few minutes, she heard Natsu's voice and the sounds of the TV. She shook her head before spotting burn marks on the wooden counter.

The high school student sighed. "Well," she mumbled. "At least he's not burning stuff again."

With that final thought, Lucy prepared their dinner. As she sliced the vegetables, the blonde thought back to her best friend. She honestly didn't know what had put him in a bad mood. He was fine this morning. And though he had been playing that game more frequently (never had she seen him more addicted to something other than fire), he would at least response to her when she called.

'_Maybe he had a dream about Igneel…' _She thought. _'He only gets like this when he's mentioned.'_

Natsu's foster parent, Igneel Dragneel, started taking jobs overseas when Natsu was only eleven. He promised the pink haired male that one day he'll be able to settle back into his life. That still hasn't happened. But Igneel didn't forget about his son; he paid for the house a long time ago and continued to pay whatever bills Natsu currently has.

However, that didn't mean Natsu couldn't be heartbroken and wish for his father to return. Proof that he still loved his father showed by always wearing the scarf he gave him.

She pulled out beef meat that was in the fridge and placed it on the hot grill. _'Come back home Igneel…'_

Daring not to think of her own relationship with her father, Lucy decided it would be best to work silently, listening only to the sounds of the game and holding back a laugh whenever Natsu cursed because something didn't go his way.

When everything was finished, she served his plate and entered the living room.

"Natsu, dinner's ready."

Unlike the other times, said teen just continued playing while ignoring her. Lucy growled lightly, setting the plate down on the dusty coffee table before standing in front of the television.

"Natsu Dragneel! I'm talking to you!"

The former pyro merely moved his head to the side. The blonde's fury increased.

"What's so important about this game that you have to ignore me?!" Lucy looked over her shoulder but the moment she did, the game paused and she couldn't see much through the transparent black screen.

"Sheeeshhh…I'm going." He said as he lifted himself up from the floor and grabbed the plate that was behind him.

The female glared at him. Her attention was torn from him when she stepped on something. When she noticed it was a video game case, she picked it up and read the title.

"Fairy Tail?" The cover was black with a strange stone carved insignia glowing blue. She turned the box over and brought it closer to her face. "Follow along on an adventurous quest to defeat Zeref, a powerful mage with a mysterious dark past. Create your own guild and recruit members from all over Fiore and the online world-"

"You don't have to read it out loud you know? I already know all that stuff." Natsu stated from the table before taking another bite of the beef.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Rude much?"

"You're the one reading my stuff!"

"You're welcome for the meal!"

"I didn't ask you to make it!"

"You know what?! I don't know what got you in such a bad mood but I don't have to deal with it. So when you're feeling like yourself again, then you can talk to me." Lucy shouted. She grabbed her bag and marched over to the front door. She slammed the door and stood outside the house, expecting the boy to snap out of whatever bad mood he was in and come after her. However, after standing outside for a few minutes, the girl tiptoed to the window and peered inside.

She could see Natsu sitting down on the floor, playing his video game and Lucy couldn't stop the heartbreak she felt.

* * *

In her own apartment, the female tossed and turned on her bed, not in the least tired. After giving up on pretending to sleep, she flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Was that game so interesting that he couldn't check up on his best friend? All he had to do was come outside, apologize and she would have forgiven him. But now, she didn't know what to think. Why could he just ignore her like that?

Lucy rolled onto her side and noticed that it was 11:11 on her digital clock. She thought back to the myth about making a wish at this time and having it come true. She smiled slightly. _'Couldn't hurt.'_

"I wish Natsu would pay as much attention to me as he does to that game." She mumbled. Lucy closed her eyes; making that wish had put her in a better mood and it was enough to put her in a calm state that eventually put her to sleep.

* * *

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to her surroundings. And the first thing she noticed was that she not in her room.

"Kyaa!" She yelled and quickly got off the bed. This room was way too nice to be hers. The sunlight may have been blocked by the large dark curtains but she could still make out the silhouettes of fancy furniture and expensive accessories.

"Calm down, calm down. This might just be a dream." She muttered. The girl walked to the door, pausing when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. "What am I wearing?!" She exclaimed.

Her hair was divided into two low ponytails. Her blue shirt was more like a vest and exposed her stomach and lower back. Plus it gave the world a nice view of her cleavage. Her black skirt was so short she wasn't sure how she could run in it without anyone sneaking a peak at her underwear. Attached to her hip were a whip and a brown key bag that held eight keys. She had to admit that the sleeves, leggings and boots were a good match though.

"So against the dress code." She stated before peering out the door and into the hallway. The house was empty and Lucy figured this would be a good time to investigate where she was.

She walked through the house, refusing to check the rooms and find out she wasn't alone and when she found the front door, she opened it cautiously.

Imagine her surprise when she saw this wasn't her neighborhood. The street was made of stone and people she didn't recognize were cheerfully walking by. The girl slammed the door shut and pressed herself against it.

'_Okay. This is definitely not your home. Stay calm Lucy. You need to think.' _She took a few deep breathes, calming her accelerated heart. _'Okay. Stay here in this stranger's house and see if he isn't some kidnapper and will tell you what the heck is going on…or go outside and try to find answers yourself…'_

Deciding that the second option sounded safer, only because being out in the open gave her a better chance to escape, she reopened the front door.

She walked through the crowds of people, noticing that they were dressed as strangely as her and weren't giving her the least bit of attention.

Lucy continued to walk and explore the city. However, she stopped in disbelief when she stood in front of a large building. _'No way…' _Panic bubbled inside of her.

'_Fairy Tail?'_

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes and stared at the digital clock that read 6:35am. He groaned, clearly annoyed with the time. It was bad enough he stayed up late, but when he tried to go to sleep, he struggled.

Guilt had been eating at him all night; he knew it wasn't fair to take out his jealousy on Lucy. Even if she is dense, that was no reason to treat her the way he did yesterday.

'_I'm a total ass…' _He concluded. _'But for sure, I'll apologize later when I see her.'_

Checking the time and noticing it was now 6:42am, he knew he wasn't going back to sleep, especially if he had to get ready in an hour.

The teen got out of bed and exited his bedroom, deciding to plop down the couch. He noticed his game system in front of the television and looked at the living room clock. 6:43am.

Natsu walked up to his game and pressed the power button. As he set up his headgear and reached for the controller, one thought crossed his mind. _'One little game couldn't hurt.'_

_..._

_...  
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**A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and are somewhat interested in it. If you're confused on what's happening, the later chapters should hopefully explain what's up. The outfit Lucy is wearing in the game is the same one she wears during the Infinite Clock arc, just to let you know.  
**

**If you're bored and are looking for more Nalu stories to read, I have a few that you're free to check out! I know, shameless promoting. Forgive me XD**

**Thank you so much if you read this/favorite/follow and I hope you leave a review to tell me your thoughts. :)**

**Your friend,**

**Dark Shining Light**


	2. Day 1- Experience

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

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**Chapter 2- Day 1: Experience**

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'_This has to be a dream.' _Lucy thought as she made her inside the building. '_There's no way I can be trapped in a video game.' _

She looked around the guild, watching many people interact with one another. _'Are all these people alive or just computers?'_

The girl walked over to a man who was just sitting down with a drink. "Ah excuse me sir, I'm new so I was hoping you can help me out."

He said nothing. She frowned and waved a hand right in front of him.

A big sign saying "Offline" appeared right in front of her. "Wah!" She stumbled back and accidently bumped into someone.

"I take it this is your first day."

Lucy turned around and spotted a beautiful young woman; she had long silver hair and the kindest blue eyes you'd ever see. "Hello, and welcome to Fairy Tail. My name is Mira. If you have any questions, please free to ask."

The blonde unconsciously bit her lip. She gulped. "Mira." She said. "Where am I?"

"You are currently located on the first floor of the Fairy Tail Guild Lucy."

Her heart bumped. "How did you know my name?"

"Forgive me; I seemed to have failed in properly introducing myself. My name is Mirajane Strauss and I am online representative, meaning if you have any questions about the game, I am here to assist you in the best that I can. Because I work for Dreyer's Industries, the company who owns Fairy Tail, my avatar is more advanced than yours. I can read name, rank, wizard type, and power levels of every online gamer."

"Woah!" Lucy breathed, taking in all the information. "That sounds pretty cool. What's all my stuff?"

The silver haired woman stared at her before frowning, "You should know your avatar's information. After all, you selected it when you first created your character."

"No, I didn't! This is my first time playing! Honest!" The blonde begged, wanting this woman to help her as much as she can.

Mira stared at her again but this time a look of recognition passed through her. "Oh! I'm sorry! I see what happened. You're using someone's original N.P.C. but have now taken over as player 2."

"Wait, what?"

"Non-playable character. Usually an online gamer creates an N.P.C. to help him or her on their quests. However, sometimes these avatars can go from N.P.C. to an actual playable character if they place another controller and select multi player. That's one of the qualities of our game. Are you currently player 2?"

Lucy gulped. "Yeah… I am…"

"Okay!" The blue eyed woman giggled. "Press Start on your controller. If you are using a PC Virtual Monitor, then swipe your right hand in front of you, top to bottom. It will bring down your menu."

She had an uncertain look on her face but the girl still did it. To her surprise, something actually popped up. It looked like a phone's contact list but instead of names and numbers there were categories.

"Okay, scroll down your list until you hit 'Skills.'" Mira instructed. The blonde scrolled down, passing 'allies, inventory, health,' before reaching the 'skills' column. The page showed a picture of her in her current outfit. Her name was placed for it as well as a power level of 38. On the right hand top, it read 'Celestial Spirit Mage.' At the bottom of that, her abilities were listed: Summon Crux-The Southern Cross, Summon Horologium-the clock, Summon Lyra- the lyre, Summon Nikora- the canis minor, Summon Pyxis- the compass. Other abilities, such as Multiple Summons had yet to be locked.

"Hey Mira, what does a celestial spirit mage do?"

"If you open your inventory and click on the Fairy Tail Guide Book icon, a book will appear with that information." Lucy had to admit, she admired how patience she was being with her.

The girl scrolled back up, opening the inventory column and tapping on guide book. A green book magically appeared.

"Woah," The blonde breathed. She opened it up and read the table of content. When her eyes landed on the word 'mages' she automatically tapped the word. Surprisingly, it actually took her to that section of the book.

A list of different types of mages and their magic was given to her. "Let's see..." she mumbled. "celestial…celestial…celestial spirit? Is that it? No wait, celestial spirit Mage! Here is it…"

'A celestial spirit mage signs contracts with online celestial spirit gamers to help him or her in the game. Automatically, a celestial spirit mage is given 5 silver keys; these keys summon N.P.C. spirits. Wanting to form a partnership with an online celestial spirit gamer requires an individual to receive an item key from said spirit. Afterwards, it's up to the party to decide the times to meet.

A celestial spirit mage can obtain maximum 12 partnerships with other gamers as long as it is not the same type of celestial spirit.'

'_Wait, what?' _Lucy thought before reading the next sentence.

'For example, if you have already formed a contract with one Leo celestial spirit than you cannot form another contract with a different Leo celestial spirit. You'd have to break your contract with the previous Leo in order to form a new one with another Leo.'

'_Okay, now it makes sense.'_ The female thought. She clicked on the 'celestial spirit' category.

'A celestial spirit lives in another world called 'The Celestial Spirit World'. There are twelve types of celestial spirits: Capricorn, Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, Leo, Aries, Scorpio, Gemini, Pisces, and Libra.

Unlike most starter player character players, celestial spirits are given a high power level from the beginning. This high power level can be used to travel to 'Earthland'. Once health bar level diminishes due to an overuse of magic, player is sent back to the 'Celestial Spirit World.'

'If a celestial spirit forms a contract with a celestial spirit mage, then player can stay longer in Earthland. Health bars will continue to diminish though not as drastic if player was single.'

'_I guess this a fair partnership.' _Lucy thought. _'While a celestial mage tries to raise its power, a spirit can help protect them so they aren't destroyed by stronger players. And it's not fair to other players if spirits had huge power levels from the start so limiting them so they have to work with someone else is a great idea.'_

Curious, the girl flipped through mages, forgetting that Mira was still in front of her. _'I wonder which one Natsu is; I can't decide if he chose dragon slayer or a fire mage….definitely not solid script mage since he hates to read…'_

Suddenly, her body stopped working. '_What?!' _ She tried to move but her body was frozen. She wanted to ask Mira what was happening when she realized she couldn't open her mouth. The blonde was panicking; her heart pumping louder and louder. _'Why can't I move?!' _She internally screamed.

"Oh Lucy! There you are!"

Her heart stopped. _'Natsu?'_

* * *

When the game finished loading, the first thing he did was check up on his sleeping Exceed. Natsu smiled slightly before pressing a button that petted the cat. "Happy, wake up." He murmured.

The Exceed opened his eyes and grinned. "Morning Natsu!"

Happy followed the virtual Natsu as they exited the room and knocked on someone else's room before walking in.

The pink haired teen blinked, confused. _'Where is she? I'm pretty sure I saved the game with her in her room.' _

He searched her around the house, dread nesting in his stomach when he didn't find anyone else. _'Calm down Natsu, maybe you just accidently left her at the guild.'_

Virtual Natsu ran through the streets of Magnolia, never pausing until he had to open the door to the guild hall. Relief shot through him when he spotted his blonde.

"Oh Lucy! There you are."

When he stood in front of her, the male couldn't help but to look at the screen in confusion. Why did Lucy have a book? The Fairy Tail Guide Book wasn't her main item.

"Weird," He muttered before opening up her character settings, switching the book to the whip that was reached to her hip. _'Better not be some fuck'n hacker messing around with my Luce.'_

"Hey Luce, let's go on a mission."

Virtual Lucy smiled. "Alright!"

The male walked up to the large board. When he pressed on a buttom, the screen focused on the mission requests. Natsu hummed as he read; he needed something quick and easy before getting ready for school.

'Help. Vulcan Hoard blocks my path.'

Natsu clicked on it and read the information. _'Defeat Hoard of Vulcans that block my place…reward 3000 J. Che, what a cheapo. But there's nothing else on the board._

The pink haired teen accepted the request before walking up to the N.P.C. again. "Let's go!"

"Okay!"

Natsu quickly found Happy, who had gotten lost in the guild, and together all three of them went on their mission. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of blue eyes watched them leave with distrust.

* * *

She hated this. She hated not being in control of her body. She hated how her body would speak for her and not allow her to do anything _she _wanted.

For example, maybe rubbing her hands against her skin because she was freezing!

It bothered her how she had no control over what she could do yet was still able to feel everything around her. It made no sense!

They stopped at the entrance of cave. She guessed this was where there mission would take place. Lucy felt nervous; she knew they were on a mission but it's not like Natsu told her anything. Right now, she was a N.P.C. and had to follow him regardless so why would he explain this to her?

But she wished she had; not knowing what was about to happen frightened her.

The moment Natsu stepped into the cave, the three huge Vulcans were shown arguing with each other before facing the three-man team. Lucy noticed Natsu, the strange cat and the Vulcans had two bars each; one indicating health and the other indicating magic. She figured she must have them as well.

"Here we go!" Natsu yelled excitedly before his fists lit up.

'_HOLY!'_

The male ran towards the central Vulcan, landing a kick. That brought its health bar slightly down. The other two creatures stared at her before hearts appeared as their eyes. "WOMAN!" They cheered.

'_AHHH! WHAT ARE WRONG WITH THESE THINGS?!'_

Because her body was still on automatic, her right hand lifted up and activated her menu. She went to the column 'Allies' and clicked on it. She was surprised to see 5 names appear.

'SALAMANDER\- online' was the first name, followed by 'HAPPY.' Underneath that, she saw three Golden key icons- each one by a name. _'Wait, does that mean Natsu has already contracted me with other gamers? Awesome!'_

Her excitement died down when she noticed the user names of these players.

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – offline

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! - online

Silence echoed in her mind. _'WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE HAS NATSU BEEN BEFRIENDING FOR ME?!' _

Her hand clicked on 'I just want to Smooo-ch' "Open- Gate of the Bull- Taurus!" She unwilling yelled.

A big muscular cow carrying a large ax appeared. "Mooo!" He shouted. "I'm here to protect Ms. Lucy's boobs!"

'_SERIOUSLY NATSU! WHAT SPIRIT DID YOU GET ME?!'_

"Bull?! What have I said about shouting that out loud?!" Natsu yelled as he finished off one of the Vulcans. His magic had only been brought down by a quarter and his health was at eighty percent.

But the bull ignored him in favor of fighting one of the Vulcans while Natsu took on the last one. Taurus (she wasn't going to call him by his user name) swung his axe but the Vulcan blocked it. The ape like creature tried to attack back but Taurus blocked his hit with his axe.

Before she knew what she was doing, her body went on the attack with her whip. At this point the Vulcan they were facing lost three-fourths of its health. Then, the girl's movements became more sluggish. She was even having trouble breathing. _'What's going on?' _Taurus seemed to be experiencing the same thing because he was looking tired as well. She saw his health bar and noticed it was at twenty-five percent. _'How did that happen?'_

The Vulcan seized its opportunity and slammed Taurus into the Lucy. Pain shot through her as his heavy body crushed her. She wanted to scream but couldn't.

Taurus's health bar reached zero percent before he disappeared.

The blonde wanted nothing more but just lay there but her stupid body wouldn't listen. It stood up and started running towards the cave entrance. Her lungs felt like they were going to explore; her back was hurting like if it was broken.

'_Stop it! Please!'_

That's when the last attack happened. The stupid Vulcan jumped on her back.

She didn't hear Natsu's yell. It was quiet; so much pain shot through her body at that one moment. She couldn't breathe. It was that move that brought her health bar to zero percent.

* * *

Lucy woke up in what seemed like in an infirmary. It was huge and many other people were in it. She should have worried and questioned why she was there. Instead, she smiled softly. It had all been a dream.

The blonde turned her attention to the right. Her eyes widened at the sight of a pink haired teen lying in another hospital bed.

"Natsu!" She screamed and flung herself out of bed. She grabbed his shoulder, only for a large 'Offline' sign to appear.

Her heart stopped. It…it hadn't been a dream.

She collapsed on her knees. Tears poured down her face before she knew it. _'No…'_

The girl angrily ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head in denial. _'No! No! No! No!'_

Lucy couldn't stop crying. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! She was forced to let some computer system run her body; she was thrown into some battle that she wasn't prepared for. But worse…worst of all. She had died. And it had _hurt._

How fucked up was this game?

* * *

**A/N: I'm finished! I'm finished! (….with this chapter…) I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm glad I finished this the same day I uploaded two other stories. Really glad.**

**I'm sure you all have a lot a questions, like what did you just read but I didn't want to bomb you with so much information all at once so I'm trying to divide it 'equally'. **

**Sorry if my fighting and dying description were lame. Rarely do those so I'll work on it. **

**Heads up, this story is going to take a lot more time to update than "What you make me do" because of the research I've been putting into this; from Fairy Tail knowledge, to game terms to psychology/neuroscience (haven't seen much of that but you will!) You'll also see a lot more Nalu. Trust me. **

**Special thanks to my reviewers:**

**Featherhart**** – It's updated my friend! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**FDsecretart**** \- Sorry if I don't have enough chapters! I'll do my best to write more so you can read more.**

**TheGoldenDragonofFiore****\- Thank you! I'm glad you find this good even if you've already read this. I'll try to make it more interesting.**

**Hrstory****\- Updated! I hope you still found it good!**

**Gailel****\- Thank you! I'm glad you like the idea! I'll try to continue making it good.**

**FireDemonSlayer****\- I think your English was fine! I'm glad you loved it and I hope you continue loving it!**

**izabellax3****\- I'll try too! **

**Cindy M 19****\- Sorry I'm forcing you to wait but here's a chapter XD**

**amehanaa**** – I hope I do those series proud with this story! Thanks again! **

**Guest****\- Thank you! I updated! Hope you're proud!**

**AnimexFreakz****\- I hope you still consider this a good story XD I can't spoil too much except you are right, Loke is out of a date. Thanks again ^^**

**Thank you for all those who have reviewed/favored/followed this story! It means a lot when I see that people want me to continue writing!**

**If you're bored feel free to check out more of my Nalu stories.**

**Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.**

**Your Friend,**

**Dark Shining Light**

**P.S. if you guys have any ideas for a user name for another Celestial Spirit please let me know. I'm eager to hear what you guys have to say! **


	3. Investigating

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

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**Chapter 3 - Investigating**

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* * *

Natsu walked down the street with a large convenience store bag in his hand. He munched on his curry bread with his unfocused eyes facing the floor.

Lucy hadn't come over. He lived closer to the school so she always insisted that there was no point in him having to walk in the opposite direction. She claimed it was a waste of time.

Yet she hadn't shown up. His heart gave an uncomfortable thump. She was still mad.

The teen hadn't even noticed he arrived to his school until he was standing in front of his classroom.

He slightly gulped, clenched onto his bag before walking in and taking his seat in the back. Lucy wasn't here and instantly the whispers began to spread.

The pink haired boy felt like it was day one all over again, back then when he didn't have a friend. His stomach crunched up, a nauseous feeling taking over but he tried not to show it. After all, he was the class delinquent: he shouldn't care what they say.

But he did and that was the problem. The bell rang a moment later but the murmurs didn't stop; he knew because they kept glancing at him.

The male opened another packet of bread and quietly chewed. Lucy wasn't here. He tapped his foot rapidly. '_Lucy's not here.'_ His mind repeated. _'Lucy's not here. Lucy's not here. Lucy's not here!'_

Lucy never missed school; now he was definitely worried.

"Settle down class." His teacher, Totomaru-sensei, commanded. He walked to the front of the class, giving the pink haired teen a quick glare before looking at everyone else.

"Today on my way to class I picked up an interesting article from the newspaper." He opened the paper and read his desired article. "'Little Boy Actually Once a Fire Wizard: Does Reincarnation and Magic Really Exist?'"

Natsu's mind started to wonder. He had no use for this, even if fire was mentioned.

"'A 6 year old named Romeo Conbolt claims that he was once a wizard during the X800 years. Normally this would be written off as a child's imagination if it wasn't for his father Macao Conbolt, 29, offering evidence.'"

The pink haired eye's shifted to the empty seat next to him.

"The boy knows so much about fire that it scares me,' Macao Conbolt said. 'And he not only knows what it does but he knows the fundamental principles on how it's made; the elements that go into it, how to change its color, and the fact that he can explain it in great detail makes me know that he's not lying.'

"'When we asked Romeo how he knew so much, he said that the answers came to him through his dreams. He claims that he sees an older version of himself doing magic tricks while going to class to learn about it. Macao says that Romeo has these dreams too often to be a coincidence.'"

The teacher placed the paper down.

"I could go on with the article but I think you get the point. Why am I talking about this you ask? It's because I want to know your thoughts on the belief of reincarnation."

Students' hands flew up. Natsu continued eating. That was the deal after all; he would be allowed to eat in the class as long as he was quiet and didn't disturb his teacher. That was the deal Lucy made for him.

His heart dropped to his stomach as he stared at Lucy's empty desk. Was she really that mad? So mad that she didn't even want to see him at school? So mad that she would make sure he went back to being alone? The mere thought caused his physical discomfort to increase.

'_No...'_ He refused to believe that she would leave him. There had to be another reason. There just had to be. But what?

"I noticed that Lucy isn't here…" He heard someone whisper; he turned his head in that direction. It was Gray, who sat in the row in front of him, three desks away.

"What a shame." Loke mumbled back to Gray.

"You didn't break her heart did you?" The black haired teen asked teasingly.

Loke smirked slightly. "That does happen a lot."

The two stopped their whispering when Totomaru gave them a sharp glare and asked them contribute their thoughts on the subject.

Meanwhile, the eavesdropper visibly shook. He wanted nothing more than to hop over and demand what the redhead meant by that. Did he do something to Lucy? _His_ Luce? The bastard must have; Lucy had never missed school and now that she had agreed to go out with Loke, she somehow misses? '_It's his fault…' _He chanted. _'It's his fault. It's his fault! IT'S HIS FAULT!'_

He breathed in and out. He couldn't fight him here. Totomaru would send him to the office. Then he'd never get his answer.

Natsu would just have to wait a little longer: Loke was so lucky.

* * *

The moment they were outside the classroom, the pink haired teen shoved people aside and made his way towards the two other boys. He pulled Loke by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Students gasped but he paid no attention to them.

"Where is she?" Natsu hissed. "Where's Lucy?"

"Get off of him pyro!" Gray yelled and tried to get the delinquent off his friend. However, Loke merely raised his hand, signaling Gray that he could handle it.

The redhead looked at Natsu. "I don't know what you're talking about. I left her messages on her phone yesterday and she never replied. That's all I know."

Both males continued to glare before Natsu slammed his fist against the wall, right next to Loke's head. Students stepped back when they saw the large hole he created with a mere punch.

He let go of the other teen and Loke straightened his collar. Gray approached his friend before glaring at the guy who attacked him. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?"

The pink haired teen snarled. Before either of them can say anything else, someone else made his way into the hall.

"What's with all the ruckus?" Gildarts inquired in a loud booming tone. "Everyone should be out eating their lunch, not staring at these three."

The students quickly scattered, including Gray and Loke. Natsu looked away from the teacher as Gildarts observed the hole in the wall. There was no point in running; he would get blamed even if he hadn't caused it. That's how things worked without Lucy.

The older man sighed. "Again, Natsu. Just be thankful it was me who found this and not your student body president."

A shiver ran down his spine. That woman was a demon.

"I'll tell you what; I'll let it slid since I see your little friend isn't here and you're probably moody because of it. But don't let this happen again you hear?"

The young pyromaniac nodded while the teacher smiled and ruffled his hair. "Atta boy."

When Gildarts left, the teen quickly rushed to the restroom. He sat down on a stall and pulled out a newly purchased lighter from his pocket. _'Sorry Lucy...but you're not here...'_

He grabbed long strands of toilet paper and watched the flames devour it. He repeated the process multiple times until he was feeling better.

The bell rang, startling the male. He slowly placed the lighter back in his pocket. He let out a deep breath before walking back to Totomaru's classroom.

* * *

Natsu ran down the streets, not caring if he bumped into any body. He needed to see her.

The boy only stopped when he was in front of her apartment. Everything looked intact. He walked up to the door and noticed that it was slightly opened. His eyes widened and he quickly went it.

"Lucy?!"

No response. His heartbeat accelerated. He didn't even take off his shoes as he wondered around the apartment, calling out to her. "Lucy?! Come on, answer me!"

He entered her bedroom and noticed the bed was unmade. Lucy always made her bed; she considered herself a slob if she didn't. He sniffed the sheets, catching a whiff of Lucy's natural vanilla scent before he smelled something else. He sniffed once more, this time catching a male's elegant colon and… anesthetics?

Natsu quickly pulled away. Realization hit him and it left him in disbelief. Someone else was here. Someone else was here and now she wasn't. Lucy was gone.

Lucy was gone.

* * *

Two days passed since Natsu last logged it.

As much as Lucy hated being controlled by the stupid N.P.C. system, she felt more alone without him with her.

Her last experience traumatized her from taking any missions so she spent her time summoning her silver keys, testing their abilities and reading the Fairy Tail Guide Book.

Just recently she managed to learn that Natsu's user name was 'Salamander' and he was a level 55 dragon slayer. She had learned this by clicking on his name on her 'Allies' list.

With this information, she skipped to the 'mages' section of the book.

'A dragon slayer is an elemental wizard that learns his/her magic from a dragon. Element is chosen at the time of mage selection. Elements include fire, earth, air, water, iron, poison, light, shadow, grass, and ice. Unlike other starter players, dragon slayers begin their story by training with a dragon 'parent.'

The blonde smiled; her best friend was in love with those creatures and she knew he would get a kick out pretending to be raised by one.

'After the player reaches level 10, the dragon disappears.' Her eyes widened in shock. _'What?!' _She read those words once more, and the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach continued to exist. '…the dragon disappears…'

'_Poor Natsu…' _Lucy knew he that must have taken a real hit from that.

'Dragon slayers have the opportunity to search for their dragon as they continue the game.'

'_At least he has hope to find his dragon.' _

As that last thought crossed her mind, her body shut down, causing her to panic. '_Oh no not again!'_

The doors from the infirmary slammed opened and 'Salamander' walked out.

"Mira!" He shouted and ran over to the assistant.

'_Natsu!' _Lucy mentally cried. She wanted nothing more than for him to come over and help her out. Or at least get near her for the avatar to follow.

The white haired worker smiled. "Hello Salamander. How can I help you?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away."

Natsu paused. "Can I ask you in private?"

The Fairy Tail assistant blinked. "Ah, ok. Follow me."

Both players walked past Lucy, causing the current N.P.C. to walk behind them. Mira led the two into a back storage where no one else was there. She locked the door and turned to the dragon slayer.

"How can I assist you?"

"I need you to let me talk to the guild master."

'_Guild Master?' _The blonde thought. The book mentioned something but she couldn't remember who he was…

"I'm sorry but the guild master is a very busy man. I need more information on your request before I can further my assistance." She smiled sweetly.

The pink haired teen groaned. "It's important I swear."

"Unless I have further information, your request to see the guild master has been denied."

He sighed in defeat. "Okay. My friend is missing." He pointed to his N.P.C. "And she looks exactly like this. I want the guild master to send a message to every Fairy Tail account, asking them if they've seen the real Lucy Heartfilia and if you have to let Salamander know."

The brown eyed girl felt her chest tightened. _'Natsu…'_

Mira frowned. "Unfortunately Dreyer's Industries is not in partnership with any federal, state, or county government. Have you already gone to your local police department and reported a missing person?"

'_But I'm not missing! I'm right here Natsu!' _Lucy internally shouted.

The male ran his hand through his hair in an agitated form. "No….I can't…I can't do that. Please just let me speak to the guild master."

"The answer is still no."

"Please. I can't go to the police."

"May I ask why?"

"Because. Lucy…." He groaned; both women saw that he was struggling with whether or not to reveal that information. "Lucy…she ran away from home. She had to get away from her father. He was a dick! And cause she's only 17, if the police find her, they're only going to take her back to her dad! And the people who help her are also going to get in big trouble; probably going to be accused of kidnapping or something! So please I'm begging you, no police, just let me talk to the guild master."

"I'm sorry Salamander," The woman looked heartbroken to say it, "but my answer is still no. Dreyer Industries simply can't get involved in a case like this."

"DAMN IT!" Natsu yelled before his character displayed an 'offline' sign.

The moment her body was free, the blonde ran out up to the figure but couldn't touch him without the 'offline' sign going on.

"Natsu!"

She felt sick. Her poor best friend was worrying about her. All because she was stuck in a stupid game because of a stupid wish she made! Without her, he really was alone. That thought itself made her want to cry.

"Oh dear." Mira frowned as she approached the girl. "You just missed him. You better talk to him when you get back. He's really worrying about you Lucy, that is, if you are the real Lucy Heartfilia."

"I am!"

"Good. Please tell him you are fine when he logs back in." The woman stated before opening the door to the storage room.

"But Mira-"

"Sorry but I have other players to assist. Please hold your question for another time." The white haired girl smiled before leaving the room.

"But…" Lucy didn't bother finishing her sentence. Mira couldn't hear anyways.

The girl slouched down to the floor. She let out a frustrated moan. "What to do…" She mumbled.

'_Is this why he didn't log in for two days? Was he looking for me?' _Somehow she knew that was the right answer. _'I hope he didn't stay out too late. Did he even go to school? Has he been eating right or getting enough sleep?'_

As these thoughts continued, the guilt slowly built up. _'And what was I doing? Just…sitting here because I was too afraid of a little pain…okay, it hurt but at least I lived. If I want to escape this place, then I need to go outside and investigate.'_

She released a deep breath of air. "I can do this…"

* * *

'_Why do they have to be so hard?' _Lucy mentally cried. She stared at the request board with a bunch of other online players. _'Save me against a Vulcan; sorry buddy but you're on your own…stop Bora from enslaving female avatars; not that I don't care but I'll get enslaved if I take that mission…' _In that moment, a new mission request was posted right in front of her. '_oh! Bring back a book…take back the book Daybreak from Everlue….location is Shirotsume Town…reward 20,000 J. Seems easy enough. Plus, maybe that book can have some information.'_

She placed her hand on it and when asked to accept, she did. The blonde quickly opened up her menu and clicked on 'maps'. After finding the city, she quickly exited and made her way to the train station.

* * *

Lucy stood outside the mansion. She lightly gulped. "Okay, here I go…"

She touched the gate and soon a skinny monkey faced maid appeared from the ground. The action caused the poor blonde to shriek and land on her butt.

"You are not welcomed here!" She claimed before two bars appeared over her head. Just like the Vulcans.

"Sorry but I don't take orders from you!" The brown eyed girl stated. She pulled out her whip and struck the woman on her side. She merely yelped as her health bar went down to half. _'What the-' _She struck her again and the maid collapsed before she vanished.

'_That was…surprisingly easy…' _She thought as she made her way into the mansion. The same thing occurred with three different ugly maids.

"So you're the one sending my N.P.C.s to my infirmary." A sound echoed from the top of the stairs. She spotted a short chubby man with elf ears and a crazy mustache.

'_Those were N.P.C.s?' _"So, are you Everlue?"

He laughed. "Indeed I am! I won't bother with your name ugly because you're about to lose!"

An angry vein appeared on her forehead. "Who are you calling ugly?!"

Two health bars appeared over his head, signaling it was time to battle. The man pulled out a golden key. "Open- Gate of the Maiden- Virgo!"

A large, muscular overweight pinked woman dressed in a maid's outfit appeared in front of the blonde. Lucy screamed.

"Punishment time!" The woman yelled and swung a fist in her direction. Luckily Lucy dodged the attack. With her whip, she managed to land a hit on her side. It made a small dent in Virgo's health bar.

The maid sent a kick in her direction but because Lucy had 'blocked' it with her arms crossed, the damage barely existed.

"Stupid girl! Hurry up and defeat her already!" Everlue yelled from the top of the stairs.

"My apologizes master!" The pink haired girl told him as she activated 'diver' and went underground.

"What the-" '_Where'd she go?' _The female celestial wizard inquired. Her question was answered when Virgo burst underneath her and punched her. That brought down Lucy's health bar by at least a fourth.

"That's it?!" The male shrieked. "I thought you were stronger than that! You're beautiful but why do you have to be so stupid and weak?!"

"Hey that's enough!" Lucy yelled, surprising both her foes. She stood up and narrowed her eyes at the man. "I can't just sit back and watch you verbally abuse another player, even if she is my opponent. She's doing her best so why don't you just back off?!"

"Why you-" She didn't hear his response. It was that moment that the blonde's attention turned to his health and magic bars. She noticed that they were almost at fifty percent. Virgo's were lower than fifty percent.

'Health Bars will continue to diminish…'

'_That's right….like what happened with Taurus and I…' _

"Hey Virgo, forget that creep and let's continue our battle." Lucy shouted as she ran towards her, whip in her hand. Virgo noticed this and went on the attack. "Flying Virgo Attack!" She jumped as if she were to do a belly flop but the blonde noticed and jumped back before the large woman could hit her. Little harm was done to Virgo's health bar but because of the longer time she spent in Earthland, her health bar read less than twenty five percent.

Lucy quickly opened her menu and went to 'Allies.'

'SALAMANDER' – offline

'HAPPY'

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – online

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! \- online

'_Let's try you!' _"Open- gate of the giant crab- Cancer!" A tall like orange skinned man appeared; you could say that his outfit was quite stylish even with those giant crab legs sticking from his back.

"Who needs a haircut baby?!" Baby Ebi asked his wizard partner.

'_Yup,' _Lucy smiled. _'Another weirdo.' _"Think you can finish off that that creep over there?" The blonde pointed to Everlue, who was looking nervous over the stairs.

"Of course baby!" He stated.

"You won't get passed me!" Virgo announced.

"Want to bet?!" Lucy demanded as she ran over to the maid. "Lucy-kick!"

The muscular woman blocked it but it was all the time Baby Ebi needed for him to use his enhanced speed and shave the other man bald.

"No!" Everlue cried. "My avatar!"

His health bar dropped to zero percent and the pink haired maid disappeared right after. His body vanished, leaving a book in his place.

"Thanks for your help." Lucy said before the celestial spirit nodded. "Anytime baby." He vanished as well.

The girl walked over to the book and picked it up. A message appeared right in front of her, startling her once again. It read "MISSION COMPLETE" before a light engulfed the book and caused it to disappear.

She was about to walk away when she noticed a piece of paper by her feet. "What's this?" She wondered. She read the note. A shock ran through her body, leaving her stunned and frightened.

The note read:

'We were afraid and who wouldn't be? We were facing the one man that had brought so much despair into our world. Many of our loved ones suffered because of the actions of this evil man. And now, it was time for us to face him.'

(Do these words sound familiar Lucy Heartfilia?)

…

...

* * *

**A/N: Before I do anything else, MAJOR thanks to all my reviewers! Thank you zadabug98, Featherhart, Breadfast, IdentityCrisis.03, TheGoldenDragonofFiore, FDsecretart, Stellar MEL, Ayumi Yoona Heartphilia, ChuChu43, , Absent Angel, AnimexFreak 0.o, EgyptianSoul.88, a guest, amehanaa, and LoneStorm! Seriously, without you guys motivating me I wouldn't be uploading this story. Like at all. So thank you ^^**

**Notes...Notes...oh! Totomaru is the teacher because 1) he is one and 2) he hates Natsu , which were the qualifications to be Lucy and Natsu's homeroom teacher. I'm not bashing on Gray and Loke (I love them both); Natsu is a minor pyromaniac, meaning he's not obsessed to the point of burning down buildings. Fire merely comforts him and he didn't want to get into serious trouble so he burnt paper instead. Virgo isn't her actual username (Lucy just didn't know it) and I think that's it.**

**Hopefully this chapter answered everyone's question about what Natsu would do if he found out Lucy was missing. Yet I feel like I gave you guys more things to question. hehehe sorry? But don't worry it will all make sense at the end (hopefully).**

**Quick thing to mention. I studied screenwriting and when you write a script, it's normally 90-120 pages long; because you are limited on space everything you write should have meaning. The reason I bring this up is to let you know that's what I'm trying to do. Maybe not the 90-120 pages but at least making sure everything I write is important to the story. Some of the things you read here may make you go, "okay. moving on..." but trust me when I say that sentence has value. When the ending comes, I don't want anyone to feel ripped off so please keep this mind.**

**That's all I really have to say. Have any questions or didn't understand a certain part don't hesitate to ask! (Don't ask for spoilers though XD) There will be more Nalu in the future! I promise.**

**Thank you so much for reading/favoring/following this story! It does mean a lot when I see people interested in my work! If you're bored, feel free to check out my other Nalu stories. **

**Please leave a review! I'm always curious to see what people think about this story. Plus they also motivate me to do more! :)**

**Until next time,**

**your friend,**

**Dark Shining Light **


	4. Day 4- Communication

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

…

…

Chapter 4- Day 4: Communication

…

…

* * *

When Lucy hopped off the train, she was greatly surprised to see a maid standing on the platform looking directly at her. Thinking it was another computer-operated character, she stepped aside and walked away.

After exiting the Magnolia train station, the blonde looked over her shoulder and shrieked when she saw the same girl right behind her.

"Forgive me mistress!" The girl bowed. "Punishment time for frightening you?"

Lucy's right eyebrow twitched. "What? No! Mistress?!"

The blue eyed girl placed her index finger and thumb under her chin; her expressionless face actually looked thoughtful. "Perhaps mistress is a little too much. Yes…princess is a much suitable name anyways."

"Can we forget about the nicknames and just tell me what you want?!" Lucy snapped. "Just who are you?!"

"Princess, please punish me for making myself unrecognizable." She said instead.

"For the last time no! And what do you mean unrecognizable? Does this mean we've-"

Then it hit her; A maid with pink hair. She remembered Everlue and the celestial spirit partner he had. "Virgo?" She inquired carefully.

"If that is what you wish to call me then yes, I am Virgo. A pleasure to meet you again princess." The girl bowed again.

However, the blonde still looked skeptical. Her eyes analyzed her new appearance. "You don't look like Virgo." She stated.

"I changed my avatar because I assumed it would be better to your liking."

Lucy had to admit she was right about that. "Well that was quick. I battled you what? Ten minutes ago."

"I believed it was 12.05 minutes ago. Would you like to punish me for being wrong?"

"NO!"

Lucy noticed that the spirit was starting to look transparent; her eyes widened. "Virgo you're disappearing!"

"Of course. Because I am a celestial spirit my time on Earthland is limited. Would princess do me the honor of allowing me to form a contract with her?" She asked. "Unless Princess already has her own Virgo than I shall take my leave."

"No! I don't actually." She grinned sheepishly.

"Could I have your name?" The pink haired girl asked as she moved her hand before going on her main menu.

"Sure. It's Lucy Heartfilia." She watched as Virgo typed something in midair.

Then a giant message box appeared in front of Lucy's vision. This time it only startled her. It read: 'A Celestial Spirit Would Like to Form a Contract with You: Accept or Reject?'

The blond clicked on the 'Accept' button. 'Congratulations! You have now formed a contract with a _Virgo_.'

"I look forward to playing with you princess." Virgo smiled slightly before disappearing.

When she vanished, Lucy squealed before she jumped up. "Awesome!" She cheered, ignoring the looks from passing players. "A new partner!"

Excitingly she clicked on the 'Allies' list and looked at the list of her friends.

However, her eagerness diminished when she caught the name of the maid.

(Virgo) PLZ PUNISHMENTIME DX – online.

She froze for five seconds before yelling out, "ARE ALL THE SPIRITS WEIRD IN THIS GAME?!"

* * *

"Have you seen this girl?" Natsu panted, holding out a picture of his blonde best friend as he tried to catch his breath.

The store clerk squinted his eyes before shaking his head 'no'. "Sorry but I haven't seen her."

He let out a sigh of disappointment before muttering a 'thanks anyways' and turned back.

"Don't feel too bad." He heard someone say. The male looked to see the next paying customer. His spiked white hair made him stick out like a sore thumb and Natsu didn't appreciate the cold taunting smirk he was giving him. "People disappear all the time. And sometimes it's for the best."

He glared at the man. "What you'd say?!"

The sharp eyed male held up in his hands in a 'calm down' manner. His little smirk remained on his face though. "I'm just saying people run away from time to time and it's nothing personal. Okay, maybe in your case it might be."

"THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS OLD MAN!" Natsu yelled before four male customers grabbed the teen. The cashier was already calling the police.

"Old man?" The white haired male blinked before looking annoyed. "I'm only 19."

"19 or 91! I'M STILL GOING TO BEAT YOU!" The pink haired teen declared before throwing the four men off of him.

"T-the police are on the-their way!" The shop keeper stated. "So just s-stay right there and don't cause anymore t-trouble!"

Natsu clenched his fists and glared. As much as he wanted to punch the lights out of the guy who taunted him he realized that ending up in jail would waste valuable looking-for-Lucy time.

He snarled at the white haired male and ran out of the store. Once outside he accidently bumped into two high school students he had never seen before. He ignored the pierced student's angry yells as he continued to run off.

'_I'm not giving up. I'm going to find you Lucy. I promise.'_

* * *

Another day passed and the blonde girl found herself staring at the guild ceiling. She hadn't found another mission that wouldn't be too difficult and she didn't want to push her luck either.

While sitting there she allowed her mind to wonder. The life of a video game player (an actual game character) was very different and she found it rather awkward to what she was accustomed to.

Her body didn't need to eat; that wasn't what fueled her character. She was still amazed how hours could pass by and her stomach wouldn't growl. Same applied to going to the restroom. Another thing she felt uncomfortable with was not showering or changing clothes. The clothes she wore never got dirty and her body was always clean. It was definitely strange; not being to do any of these normal human activities that is.

The concept of rest was interesting as well; rather than feeling tired, if her health bar was low she would feel sluggish and pain. It was only when she would rest on the infirmary bed that she would close her eyes and wake up a few seconds later, feeling like she's had the best sleep of her life.

Her thoughts went from the differences in life to the people in the game. Slowly she realized how realistic they looked. Natsu looked exactly the same as he did in real life; no game has the exact assets you need to create a perfect character. His facial expressions always changed too. Why was that?

"Hey Mira." Lucy called before the white haired barmaid walked over to her. "How come everyone has this realistic feel to them?"

"Do you mean the visual graphics?"

"Yes and no. I mean, Natsu created my character which looks exactly like me in real life. There's no way all these traits would be available in the character design settings so how was he able to do it?"

"Oh I see," Mira smiled. "When Dreyer Industries created 'Fairy Tail' we didn't want players to be limited on their appearance. So what we did was create two different devices that could tap into a person's limbic system, mainly the hippocampus and retrieve the memory of what an individual wanted to be. One of those devices is a PC Virtual Monitor, which as implied is for a PC game and the other is a headset used for the console version of the game."

A brief imagine of Natsu with a pair of stereo headphones flashed in her mind. Only those hadn't been headphones apparently.

"And when a character makes faces is it because the game is linked to some of our neurons?"

The woman smiled. "That is correct."

"Hm…" This was definitely new.

"So have you spoken to Salamander yet?" Mira asked, surprising the blonde. And that's another thing she hadn't gotten used to; not being able to call her best friend by his name.

Lucy looked down at her lap. "No, I haven't. Every time he's logged on I-" She paused. "I-I'm not online." She finished.

"That's not good." The online representative stated. "We've never had that request made before you know. He must be very worried."

"…I know…" She mumbled quietly. She felt guilty for making him worry. If only the stupid game didn't make her shut down every time he was on. Better yet, if only she wasn't stuck in the stupid game to begin with it!

"You could leave him a personal message." Mira recommended.

She blinked. "I can?"

"Normally you wouldn't if you were an N.P.C. but because your avatar has been activated to a playable character, the settlings should have changed to allow you to message someone."

The brown eyed girl honestly hadn't known that. She went to her main menu and was surprised to see 'Personal Messages.' Strange, she hadn't noticed that before. Then again, she always skipped down to Skills. Wonder what else these her main menu had.

She clicked on it and a box appeared in front of her vision. It was set up like a normal email. There was a 'To', 'Subject', and 'Message' box to fill. On the bottom was the 'Send' button. Underneath the 'Send' button was a virtual computer keyboard; it was transparent as the message system.

Lucy looked at the box and back to Mira. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Positive. Why do you think Salamander wanted us to send a message to every online player? Our messenger system won't fail."

Someone else called for the white haired girl's assistance and Mira said goodbye before leaving the blonde to herself. Lucy stared at the screen, biting her lip before hesitatingly typing into the message box. After a few minutes, she re-read what she wrote and gulped. Pausing over the send button, she closed her eyes before pushing it. ' _'I hope this works…'_

* * *

The pink haired teen entered his apartment. Not bothering to turn on his lights, he placed his take-out dinner on the coffee table and turned on the TV.

He sat down and ate quietly. Flashes of light illuminated his face throughout his meal. The only sounds in the room came from the television. His mind wondered from time to time; heck he couldn't even remember whatever he was watching go to commercials.

When he finished, he placed the dirty plate back on the table.

"_Would it kill you to take your plate to the sink for once?" An annoyed blonde nagged as she took his plate back into the kitchen._

After that image, Natsu hesitantly picked up his plate, walked into the kitchen and threw the take-out box away.

A small smile appeared on his face. "Luce wouldn't believe me if I told her what I just did…"

His slump form stayed over the trashcan. Moments later, he snapped out of his depressed state and walked back into the living room.

Plopping down in front of the television, he turned on his console and set up his headgear.

'_If the guild master won't help me I'll just have to ask people if they've seen Lucy in the game.' _

Once the game loaded, his eyes wondered to the flashing icon on the side of his screen. 'One unread message' it read.

His eyebrows scrunched together, indicating that he was confused. The only person he could think of sending him a message from the Fairy Tail staff.

He clicked on the inbox and instantly the new message opened.

'Hey Natsu

I know you're going to find this hard to believe. Like SERIOUSLY hard to believe and I wouldn't believe this either if it wasn't happening right now. Natsu, it's me Lucy…and I'm trapped in the game. It sounds ridiculous I know. But it's the truth and I didn't know how else to tell you. I've tried to tell you for a long time but whenever you were online the game shut me off. However I've been here for days- since the day you went to the mountain and took on those three Vulcans or whatever they were. I'm in the game Natsu and I don't know how to get out. I'm still trying to figure it out. Please believe me when I say it's me. I miss you Natsu.'

Sender: Lucy Heartfilia

His widened eyes stared at the screen; his body felt paralyzed. It wasn't possible, he thought. There was just no way.

As he continued to think, a variety of possibilities swirled in his head. What was happening?

This has to be a joke.

It was that thought that caused him to unfreeze and slowly enter a new set of emotions.

'_This is a joke.'_ He clenched his teeth; his grip on the control tightened. '_This is a fucking joke!'_

So there had been a hacker. And now this bastard got hold of his conversation with Mira and was mocking him with it.

Growling, he exited the message and made his way to the guild. He would report the bastard and if the Fairy Tail staff couldn't do anything about it, then he would hunt the bastard on his own and make him pay for taunting him so cruelly.

* * *

Lucy tapped her foot impatiently as she stared at the request board. Missions were being posted and taken so quickly. However, not a single one called out to her. She knew she was pushing her luck. Natsu could come back from school any minute now; if he still went to school that is. And if she wasn't back before he logged in, she wasn't sure what would happen.

Suddenly, control over her own body slipped and the girl realized that Natsu must have logged back in.

She spotted her friend making his way to her; the expression on his face was the one she least wanted to see.

He was furious.

'_Natsu.' _What could have gotten him in such a bad mood? Did something happen today? Did he get into a fight? It couldn't have been her letter, could it?

The angry look he was giving her made her think yes. She watched as the male waved his hand around, selecting a few things that she couldn't see. His eyes widened for a second. He glared at the blonde and Lucy internally gulped.

"Mira!" He called loudly and soon the white haired representative appeared.

"How can I help you Salamander?" She asked with a warm smile.

His mood didn't change. "Someone hacked my character…" He muttered. Mira's eyes widened before they briefly landed on Lucy.

"Let's go to the storage room." She said. He and Mira walked away while Lucy's body merely followed.

Mira locked the door and turned to the active player. "Can you please describe the incident as best as you can?"

"Someone hacked my character." The male repeated.

"Where you online when this occurred?"

"No. I just turned on my game and saw a letter from my own N.P.C. It's not possible unless someone hacked her." The tone of his voice was darker when he said it.

"Hmm…" Mira thought before her eyes shifted to the blonde.

"And it was a really fucked up note!" Natsu continued, not noticing the stare the woman was giving his non-playable character. "They were pretending that they were the real Lucy! They were fucking mocking me!"

'_No I wasn't! It was a call for help damn it! Natsu…..' _If only this stupid system would give her one minute with her best friend she would have everything cleared up. The last thing she expected from Natsu was to think he was being taunted.

Mentally pulling on her hair, she cried. _'Why does this game have to be so damn complicated!'_

"Have you checked your mission logs to see if your character has done any other unusually tasks?"

The dragon slayer muttered a small 'no' before opening his menu and heading to the mission logs. His forehead scrunched up the same time his eyebrows moved inwards. His eyes revealed further confusion and frustration as they scanned the new data. "I never did this last mission." He stated. "And I didn't form a contract with this person either."

"I see." Mira muttered.

"Argh… I DON'T GET IT!" The male yelled. "They haven't messed with my character! They're only messing with my Luce! Why?!"

"I wish I could tell you Salamander. Unfortunately I don't have all the answers. This new person that has formed a contract with your N.P.C.; are they online so that we may contact them and inquire what happened?"

Scanning through Lucy's information, he pouted. "No…They're offline."

"Okay. I'm going to ask you a series of questions in hopes that this will give us some clue to how your account was hacked." The white haired woman explained before she opened up her own menu and clicked on a few other invisible things.

"First question: Did you give your password for this game to anyone?"

Natsu scoffed. "No."

"Did you give out the password for the email address on your account?"

"No."

"Did you share your account?"

"No. Not even to Lucy and she's my closest friend."

Unbeknownst to them, the frozen blonde pouted internally. _'I wonder why he never showed me this game before…'_

"Was your password easy to guess?"

"Pssshh. That's stupid. Why would I make it easy?" The pink haired male asked in an annoyed manner.

Mira didn't seem affected by his attitude. "Did you use a public computer at any time while you had this account and someone saw your information?"

"No."

"Did you accidently download a virus or keylogger?"

"What the hell is a key blogger? But no I didn't."

The gaming assistant rolled her eyes before continuing. "Did you share your account so someone could upgrade you and now they have your information?"

"No way! I created my characters and powered them up by myself. There's nothing to be proud of if someone else works on them." Natsu pointed out and even Lucy smiled a little from her prison.

Mira smiled as well. "I'm glad you think that way. Okay. This is what I can do. I can lock this account and send you instructions on what to do next through your email." Her grin diminished. "Be warned, if this doesn't help, we may ask you to delete your account and start a new one. Will you be okay with that?"

Both characters' minds went blank. Though her composure lacked emotion because of the system, on the inside she was panicking. _'Delete his account? That means the characters too right?! What's going to happen to me?! Will I disappear too?! I can't believe I'm going to say this but Natsu don't you dare quit gaming!"_

However, she realized it didn't matter how much she yelled in her head; he couldn't hear her and the choice was his alone.

'_I…' _She sighed. _'Please do the right thing Natsu….'_

* * *

Sitting in front of his television, Natsu could only stare at the screen. The possibility of deleting his account, was it worth it?

The idea of having to lose everything he's accomplished- every level he powered up in, every mission he did, every item he bought, every villain he defeated- was devastating.

Granted, Mira didn't say it would be deleted, merely that there was a chance it might be if what the email said didn't work.

But he needed his account; maybe he could find Lucy if he talked to different people.

However, guilt slowly entered his heart; like a double edged sword, he thought about how this game also got him into this mess. If he hadn't too busy playing his game, then maybe his best friend would still be here. If he hadn't used the game as an excuse to ignore her, he could have talked to her and this fight they had would have been resolved. They would have had their dinner; she would complain about him being so messy and he would tell her that she was just being a weirdo. Then they would cuddle up and watch television for hours before she would have to go. But he would make sure that it was late so she could stay the night. If she stayed the night, then her door wouldn't have been opened and those smells wouldn't exist.

And she would still be here.

Natsu opened his mouth to speak into his mic. He was about to tell Mira he was willing to do it when his eyes rested on his N.P.C.

She looked so much like Lucy. Yes, he created her from memory but it always amazed him how much detail he was able to capture of her. Would Lucy find him creepy if she saw the avatar he made from memory? Probably; that's why he always hid it from her view.

Even though someone has found an interest in her virtual character, can he really delete her and start all over so someone else couldn't have her? Would it be the same if he duplicated her again?

'_No,'_ he admitted. '_It wouldn't.'_

Real life Lucy was the best and he based his character of her. Trying to make another avatar like this one wouldn't focus on the girl he liked like he originally did; he could only be trying to copy the N.P.C. he has now.

Also, right now that Lucy was gone; this avatar was the only thing he really had left of her. He only had few pictures in real life. However, this online character captured how she moved and spoke. How she sounded…..he missed her.

"Sorry Mira." Natsu said. "But I can't. I can't take that risk. I'll figure something out."

He watched as the white haired woman smiled. "If this is what you've decided Salamander, there's nothing I can do. If you find the same thing reoccurring, contact me again and I'll send you those instructions."

"Thank you."

The woman exited the storage room. It was just him and his N.P.C. He clicked on a button on his controller before scrolling down to the 'Mission Logs.' _'When did this start happening again?'_

His mind wondered back to the date he last saw the real Lucy. Shoving down his depression, he clicked on the mission that matched that date.

'_Galuna Island it is then.'_

* * *

If it was possible the girl would have screamed, kicked and punched her best friend's avatar over and over again. She had been so scared but thankfully he decided to keep his account. Who knows what would have happened to her if he hadn't.

Instead, and by force, she sat down beside him; still angry yet half amused that the dragon slayer was sick from riding on a boat.

'_The guide book didn't say anything about this. Motion sickness…who would have guessed?'_

She imagined what Natsu's expression must have been like when he first discovered his character's weakness. She internally chuckled.

Fortunately the boat ride ended a few seconds later and Lucy was able to follow Natsu once they were out.

The first thing she noticed about their location was it was a small village. The second thing was that the N.P.C.'s in this place were purple monsters. There were other human looking players but she figured because there were a few of them that these were the actual players.

She silently followed her best friend as they walked around. He would ask random players if they had experienced any unexplained changes in their characters.

'_I'm not a hacker Natsu!'_

The girl watched as the dragon slayer approached two players. One was shirtless and looked like a mix between a dog and human. The other wore a long green shirt that reached his knees. His spikey blue hair really did defy gravity. Both of these guys were really weird Lucy concluded.

"Hey, have you guys heard anything about hackers?" The pink haired teen asked.

Both stopped their conversation and turned to him.

"Who wants to know?" The shorter one inquired.

"Who else? Me!"

"Hey I don't like your bad attitude!" The dog one growled.

"I don't like yours either mutt!" Natsu responded.

"Toby, down." His friend said before 'Toby' pouted. The blue haired one gave Natsu a suspicious glare. "Again, why are you so curious about hackers?'

"One of them got into my account and started messing with one of my characters!" He waved his hand in Lucy's direction. "And I'm going to kick the bastard's ass!"

The other male smirked. "Very interesting. But do you honestly expect someone to confess? You must be stupid to think it's that easy."

"I'll show you easy!" Natsu yelled as he attempted to punch the male. However, it was blocked by a green force field.

'_Natsu!'_

"Yuka!" Toby yelped before sighing in relief when he saw that his friend was okay. That's when the two health bars appeared over all four characters.

"I'm going to kick your asses and force you to tell me everything you know about hackers!" The pink haired teen declared before lighting up his fists and charging at both players.

"Wave shield!" Yuka said again as he blocked the attack.

On automatic mode, Lucy opened up her menu and clicked on 'Allies'

'SALAMANDER' – online

'HAPPY'

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – offline

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! – online

(Virgo) PLZ PUNISHMENTIME DX – offline.

'_No! Not the pervert!' _Lucy screamed in her head. However, her body did just the opposite.

"Open- Gate of the Bull- Taurus!"

The tall muscular bull appeared in front of the blonde. "Ms. Lucy, will I get a smoooo-ch this time?!" He asked.

'_Not even in this virtual world you pervert!'_

"Cow!" Toby yelled happily. "I love cow!"

"Stick to mooooo-re dog food!" Taurus replied before charging with his axe.

"Paralysis Claw: Mega Jellyfish." The dog looking character said before he grew long green fingernails. He charged at Taurus but the cow was able to block every hit with his axe. At one point, the bull managed to land a hit. Toby flew back and landed on his back. He lost thirty percent of his health.

'_Awesome!'_

However, the shirtless player merely sprung back to life. She noticed that Taurus's health was at the same level at Toby.

'_Not awesome!'_

Luckily, the N.P.C. system allowed her to pull out her whip and help her spirit. Though she still wasn't in control, she felt better that her body was helping. She even managed to land a few hits while Taurus distracted him.

Unfortunately, both sides were at an even thirty-five percent health. Lucy was starting to feel her body's exhaustion.

Then Toby surprised them both by ducking under Taurus's attack and aimed his nails at her. Because of her low health, she didn't defend herself in time. His nails scratched her exposed stomach.

Once again, she screamed in her head as the health bar dropped to ten percent.

"Ms. Lucy!" Taurus cried.

"You should really pay attention to your opponents Mr. Cow." Toby mocked as scratched the player's face.

Though Taurus was fading, he managed to get one last hit on the human dog before he vanished. Toby's health also dropped to ten percent.

"Damn it, I need a potion." He whined.

Lucy ignored her opponent; there was nothing she could as she laid on the floor paralyzed. She wanted to cry; maybe it would help with the pain. She tried to focus on Natsu's match. He would yell something about fire dragon this or dragon that. Same went for the other guy only with waves.

As she continued to stare, she noticed a figure standing a couple of yards away from Natsu. However Natsu's back was turned so he couldn't see him.

The man had a large white coat and a mask that resembled a silver knight's. From what she could tell there were horns on the side of it and a purple ponytail on the back. But it wasn't his just outfit that got her attention. His stance…it was strange too.

Realization hit. He was planning on attacking Natsu.

Internally she struggled; she fought against the pain as she tried to break free from the paralyzed spell.

'_Move damn it!' _The girl yelled at her body. She had to warn him; at that moment she didn't remember that he couldn't feel pain like she could. The mere idea of him being attacked made her so distressed. She didn't want to see him hurt. In that moment, she lost the concept that this was a game and believed that this was real.

In her head, time froze. Lucy didn't see that she glowing. She didn't even realize what she had done. In one second, she had lifted herself up and screamed, "NNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSUUUUUUUUUUU!"

His eyes locked onto hers. After seeing that she made contact with him, she gave him a small smile before the stranger from before changed targets and shot her instead.

Her health bar dropped to zero.

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes. The white walls made her realize she was back in the Fairy Tail infirmary. The memories from her last mission with Natsu flooded her head.

Sensing someone next to her, she turned her head to her right. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Natsu.

Salamander towered over her lying form. His sight was purely on her figure; she figured he must be analyzing her.

But it wasn't possible. She was in control of her body and he appeared to be online. She raised a hand in his direction; she expected an 'Offline' sign to appear. Instead, the male took a step back.

She watched him gulp slightly; his eyes met hers and she could see the confusion and frustration behind them. His eyes hardened before he spoke.

"Who are you?"

* * *

**A/N: Special thanks to: **

**FDsecretart, EgyptianSoul.88, TheGoldenDragonofFiore, Crystal Dragmura, ****justanotherdreamgirl, ChuChu43, Animexfreak 0.o, rebma726, Breadfast, **

**AbsentAngel, amehanaa, Featherhart, LoneStorm, I need more (guest), ****Purity Ruined, ForeverDreamer12, NaLuforever48, XxFairy-chanxX, ****a guest, **

**XxIamBoredxX and simpleory**

**-for leaving me feedback in the previous chapter. You guys seriously make my days. Thank you to every single one of you and I hope I didn't let you down with this chapter.**

* * *

**Sorry for the long delay: I'm a full time student with a part time job; I have siblings who don't understand that when I'm on the computer it means I'm busy (that's probably how Lucy feels whenever Natsu and Happy come over while she writes her novel) and recently there has been a lot of drama on this site that I kind of just wanted to get away from it. Then to make matters worse, the recent Fairy Tail 2014 episode just made me lose a lot of inspiration (the manga isn't helping either…). I hated the new episode for the following reasons (btw if you haven't seen it: SPOILERS)**

**One: It was filler and it wasn't even good. It was like the obvious minor important Naruto fillers that are shown to waste time. It was pointless. Hisui and Arcadios could have just gone to Fairy Tail, given them the information, shown them the keys and moved on. But apparently it's necessary to have a whole episode end in a complete circle where nothing is accomplished! Because nothing was accomplished, the battle with Pisces was pointless! I swear the creators just wanted to show off Pisces's new design! **

**Two: Apparently talking about how guilty Hisui still feels is more important than the trauma of watching a friend or in Lucy's case, herself, die. It's ridiculous how the whole group that was there basically got over future Lucy's death in a few minutes (we assume this since it hasn't been mentioned) yet we still need to comfort the princess episodes later because she still feels bad. I hope that this arc has a death of future Lucy reference otherwise I'm going to lose it. **

**Three: They made Yukino stronger while making Lucy weaker. I seriously feel like the creators like Yukino over Lucy. They gave Yukino silver keys that can fight (you know because having her know martial arts and fight Virgo wasn't good enough) and I felt like they were making fun of Lucy. That wasn't a Lucy kick! I don't know why they had her do it! Especially since we know she does it when her opponent is open and kicks them under the chin. My guess is that they were trying to make Lucy funny by having her do an epic fail. But for me it wasn't funny. She didn't land a single attack and at the end Natsu had to save her (and it wasn't even a Nalu moment- it was more of a Lucy-is-weak-so-her-partner-Natsu-had-to-save-her-once-again feel). **

**The episode was just….one of the worst in my opinion. I was very disappointed…**

**Sorry for the rant. I've been ranting a lot recently haven't I? Thank you for being patient with me.**

* * *

**Notes…notes… ah yes: So you've learned Virgo's username; I know it wasn't the best but it was what I came up with. I had to do research on memory and hackers. I don't major in psychology, neurology, or computer programming so please forgive me if the information wasn't great.**

**If you're confused why Natsu went to Galuna Island I'll explain. Remember in chapter 1 when Natsu was playing 'Fairy Tail' as Lucy cooked; when Lucy came back to the living room, Natsu paused the game which dimmed the screen and Lucy couldn't see anything because of it. He was playing in Galuna Island at the time and when he finished late at night he saved the game in his house in Magnolia. He remembered that his virtual Lucy wasn't acting weird until after he got back from that place and figured the 'hacker' must have been playing in Galuna Island so he wanted to go back and see if anyone else had gotten hacked when they were there. I know that's not how hacking works but Natsu doesn't know that and it's for the sake of this story so please follow along. **

**I've never written anything with Toby and Yuka; if you feel like they were OOC please let me know. Also I'm not the best in fighting scenes but if you happen to be, please contact me because I might need more help on those scenes in the future. If you didn't understand something that happened in this chapter, don't hesitate to ask. **

**A few more things and then I'll leave you guys alone. I want to start a new Nalu story that involves little Natsu but I can't decide what prompt to use. If you can kindly vote on my poll on my profile for which prompt I should use I would gladly appreciate it.**

**Another thing: according to the stats 65-92 people are favoring/following this story! That's awesome and it makes me really happy. If you are one of these 65-92 people please leave a review. The problem with following/favoring a multi-chapter story is once you favor/follow I don't know if you're still reading this story. If you're shy, leave me a smiley face and I'll take it as I did good. Again, I just want to see how many people are still reading this story. Of course, I always welcome guest reviews as well. :) I'm hoping more people leave feedback (last chapter I got 21 reviews) so let's see if we can top that please XD **

**Thank you for patience and your continuing support. Seriously: I only write because you guys inspire me to do so. So thank you all! :) **

**If you're ever bored feel free to read the Nalu stories I have :)**

**Until next time (which I don't know when because I have to complete two requests and another chapter of 'What You Make Me Do' first but hopefully it will be soon!) **

**Your friend**

**Dark Shining Light**

**P.S. BRACE YOURSELVES! THE NALU IS COMING! That is all!**


	5. Identification

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

…

…

Chapter 5: Identification

…

…

* * *

"Who are you?"

There were so many ways she could have responded to that. Lucy could have yelled at him and said, 'it's me you idiot', or said jokingly, 'how could you not remember me you dork.' She could have told him in a cheesy way that she was his classmate, his personal chef, and his best friend.

Instead she whispered, "I'm Lucy."

Natsu glared. "I meant in real life! Who the fuck are you?!"

She gulped. "Exactly who I say I am."

He let out a frustrated groan and stood closer. The male was right beside her bed; his form towered over hers, making him look extremely intimidating. "I'm not fucking messing around! Just tell me who you are NOW!"

The blonde flinched. Her gaze shifted and she noticed that other players were staring.

"Look…I'll tell you but maybe somewhere else. There are a lot of people in here." Lucy mumbled. His eyes didn't leave her face as much as she wanted them to.

Slowly he backed away and she quickly got off the bed. They hastily made their way out of the room and unintentionally ignored Mira's stare. The two exited the guild. According to the dark sky, it was still night time in actual life.

Suddenly Natsu ran down the streets of Magnolia without a word. Though mildly annoyed she did her best to follow.

The bright lights and beautiful decorations of the city captured her attention as they ran. Japanese lanterns hung from local shops and people who she wasn't sure were real or not stood outside with giant smiles. She discovered that she liked Magnolia better when it was night.

She looked back to the pink haired avatar in front of her and wondered how her best friend saw this world. Was he seeing the same decorations as she was? Or was he only seeing the roofs of the houses? Was it like a first person point of view game? Could he still see her as they ran? How did she look in his perspective?

'_Hopefully not bad…' _The girl thought self-consciously. She looked up at the sky and as expected, she didn't see Natsu with his gaming gear on; only the night's atmosphere.

They stopped in front of a house and the blonde recognized it to be the house she exited from when she first awoke.

'_So this was Natsu's?'_

He walked towards the door and waved his arm. There was a click before it became magically unlocked.

The dragon slayer pushed the front door open. Lucy quickly followed inside. Once she entered, he closed the door behind her and a second click was heard.

"It's locked. No one else can get it." He stated. She wasn't certain if that was supposed to assure her that no one could walk into their conversation or send her the hidden message that she couldn't escape.

She gulped. The girl hoped it was the first one. However, seeing him continue to glare at her made her think otherwise.

The avatar of her friend plopped onto the coach. "Sit right here." He said. She could only assume he meant the coffee table in front of him.

"Hmph." Though annoyed that she wasn't offered an actual seat, she still complied and sat in front of him.

"Okay. Prove to me that you're the real Lucy." 'Salamander' commanded.

"How do you want me to do that?" She inquired.

"Tell me stuff that only she would know."

Lucy bit her lip. What could she tell him that would make him believe it was really her?

"I'm waiting."

She sent him her own narrowed stare. "I'm thinking." She crossed a leg over the other before using it as a resting post for one of her hands and the elbow that propped on top of it. With her free hand she rested her chin on top of her index finger and thumb. "Hm…."

Time passed before the girl snapped her fingers and looked at him with an eager expression. "I know. Your actual name isn't Salamander; it's Natsu Dragneel!"

Much to her surprise, the male merely snorted. "You could have seen that when you hacked into my profile."

Her excited demeanor diminished. "Well…your birthday is on June 21-"

"Again, on my profile hacker."

She glared. "…Your favorite color is red-"

"Lucky guess."

The blonde uncrossed her legs and gripped the sides of the coffee table. She released a frustrated breath of air; obvious nervousness reflected off her face. She wasn't sure how personal she should be with the information he was demanding from her. It might seem like she would be using it against him if she said too much. Even if he didn't trust her now, he still trusted Lucy Heartfilia in real life and she didn't want to ruin that.

"You're….formerly a pyromaniac…" She said carefully. He flinched and she could only assume Natsu in the real world had done so. "This didn't occur until your father, Igneel, left for a job overseas."

He said nothing and she took it as a sign to continue. "You haven't seen Igneel since you were a kid but he continues to support you even if he's far away."

Before he could say anything, she hastily added. "I met you in our first year of high school but I didn't transfer until spring. My first day didn't go so well but you know already know that."

Lucy gave him a tiny grin but when he didn't response, continuing to stare at her in suspicion instead, she dropped it. "Because I was the new student, some guy tried to take advantage of me. When I wasn't looking he took a picture under my skirt. I was so embarrassed."

She looked away so she didn't see his expression change. "He told me that a lot of guys would pay money to see a picture of my panties but if I paid him 24,000 yen he would delete it from his phone.

"Then you showed up." Their eyes locked. "You didn't know what was happening; all you knew was that someone had eaten your lunch when you went to the restroom and all your classmates said he had taken it. You attacked him from behind and sent him flying with just a kick. You made that guy look like he was your punching bag."

Natsu let a proud smirk pass his lips. Her grin returned. "He dropped his phone and you didn't realize it until you accidentally stomped on it. Your expressions were priceless." Lucy giggled when she remembered the two males' faces. "As a thank you for saving me, I bought you a large lunch."

She couldn't stop from sending him a warm smile. "After that, I befriended you. A weird pink haired boy-"

"Hey-"

"named Natsu Dragneel." Despite feeling her heartbeat increase and a blush on her cheeks, she continued. "You're not the best student; but you're kind and funny and sweet when you want to be. Though you're not enrolled in a sports club, you're quite the athlete. You love spicy food and always drench my 'fire chicken' with hot sauce. You dream about meeting your father one day and becoming a fireman when you're older. You're my best friend and I wouldn't give you up for all the money in the world."

His dark eyes stared at her in disbelief. His jaw dropped and his body visibly shook. It was clear he was still in shock.

"L-Lucy?"

Feeling more confident, she leaned closer and cupped his cheeks with her hands. She slowly nodded.

"I'm your Luce Natsu."

* * *

Seconds passed and the high school student continued to watch the television screen in silence. Emotions spiraled within him, making it impossible for him to identity what he was feeling at the moment; disbelief that this character was in fact Lucy, _his_ Lucy; confusion on how it was possible that she was there; rejoiced that he found her; frustrated that she's not here and that he can't feel her like he should.

"Natsu…"

Her voice; it sounded slightly off because of the speakers but it was still hers. The visual graphics of the game made her too real; her light colored skin looked delicate, her flushed cheeks radiated in color and he swore he could see every strand of her silky golden hair. But most importantly, her brown eyes held the same warmth and tenderness he's known her to have. Those chocolate colored orbs that would always make his heart accelerate.

Without realizing it he lifted his hand and leaned in to caress her face.

Then his fingers touched the plastic glass of the television and he remembered that Lucy wasn't actually in front of him.

His Lucy was in the game.

* * *

"Natsu…" She asked again.

He didn't respond.

"Natsu. Please answer me."

She knew he was still online. The box would have stated 'offline' if he wasn't.

"Luce…" He breathed and the girl grinned. Her eyes became glossy and she wiped a finger against them to stop the tears.

"It's me alright."

It felt good to have her friend back. She let go of him, feeling uncomfortable with touching him if he wasn't responding to her gestures. He watched as she released him and straightened up. He must have realized what she thought because he mumbled a curse.

"Sorry- I don't have a PC so I'm limited on what I can do on the console. Anyways that's not important -just…answer how and where are you?!"

The blonde girl rubbed her hands in a nervous manner. "This is going to sound stupid and totally unbelievable but I'm in the game."

"I know that Luce-"

"No! I mean, I'm literally trapped in the game! This…this is all real! I feel everything! Happiness, the magical boxes that appear out of thin air, you, a tree, a player and pain! Natsu-" She pleaded desperately. "You _have_ to believe me when I say this is all real."

However, his gaze did not indicate that he understood. "Luce, you know that's impossible right?"

"I KNOW THAT!" She snapped. "But I wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't true."

"Maybe it's possible that you're hooked onto a PC Virtual Monitor without even knowing it." Natsu offered.

"But how wouldn't I know?!" The girl questioned. "The last thing I remember is going to sleep and then waking up here. Shouldn't I remember being connected to some video game?"

"I don't know!" He answered; he was clearly frustrated as she was. "Look, when you went missing I checked your apartment and found the door unlocked."

Her brown eyes widened in disbelief and unconsciously released a gasp. Natsu continued before she could interrupt. "And that's not all…it smelled funny in there. It smelled like fancy guy perfume and something else.

"Someone had definitely been in your apartment."

Here she had been ready to argue that what she was experiencing was real. However, hearing that someone else had been in her apartment and could possibly be the reason she's here now made her extremely queasy.

"I'll find the guy don't you worry." Natsu promised. "And when I do, I'll kick his ass and set you free!"

Despite feeling nauseous, she managed to give him a tiny smile. "My hero."

Her eyes wondered around the room. A frown appeared on her face. "I was pretty sure this was all real. It feels like it anyways. How do PC virtual monitors even work?"

The male scratched the back of his head. "Well...I've only seen guys use it in videos on the internet. But they all say it's like a dream where you have control. Basically you get to move however you want. If you use the console version, you have to use buttons and codes to do certain things."

He scratched the back of his head again. "Like this. There's a button on my control that lets me do this."

"Interesting." She stated.

"And when you play on a PC you're not supposed to feel anything. That's so people don't get confused with real life…you also have to be sitting down somewhere where there's little stuff in the room cause you might start moving in real life and hurt yourself."

"Hm…"

"Oh yeah! You're also kicked out of the game if you play for over eight hours in a row. I think it's so the company doesn't get sued for playing too much or something like that."

"But…" She went back into thinking position. "I've been here since you went on that mission against the Vulcans and that was days ago."

The pink haired boy looked at her in horror. "Wait, so you haven't been logged out of the game?! Like ever?!"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah and I can feel everything in this game. The table, you," She gulped lightly. "…Attacks. To me this doesn't sound like I'm using a PC monitor."

"Or it's a fucked up one." He grumbled.

She gave him a slight glare for cursing but he didn't notice. She went back to thinking. "It also wouldn't explain why I recently have control over your NPC…or how I'm able to use it in the first place."

He gave her a frustrated expression. "True…grrr…but how else can you be stuck in a game? Nothing else makes sense!"

In that second, she remembered the last night she spent in her apartment. The light in her brown orbs dimmed and unconsciously she whispered, "Maybe someone wished for it."

It was silent after that.

She looked at her friend once again. His heartbroken expression stared at the floor and she concluded that it was the idea of someone wishing harm on her.

Wanting to provide him with comfort, she placed her hand over his, even when he couldn't feel it.

"But I'll be okay." The girl vowed. "I think right now we should focus on how I can get out of the game instead of how I got in."

"Yeah…" He breathed in deeply and released it before sounding more confident. "Yeah! Ok! So…have any ideas?"

"Not a clue." She sighed in disappointment.

The dragon slayer avatar frowned. "Anything weird happen? Like meeting weird suspicious people? Anything?"

She slouched slightly and pondered if she experienced any strange phenomenon while trapped in the video game.

Her eyes widened when she remembered she had. _'How could I forget?'_

While leaning down, she searched inside her shirt to find the note she discovered after defeating Everlue. Once she found it, she quickly pulled it out from between her shirt and one of her breasts.

Lucy turned her gaze back to male and noticed he was blushing. She blinked. Then she realized the view she must have given him.

Her own face reddened. "D-don't you d-dare say anything! It's not m-my fault this outfit has no p-pockets!"

"Couldn't you put it in your boot or something?" He muttered.

She kicked his leg as a response but of course, he didn't feel it. Frustrated, she puffed her cheeks and looked the other way. "Pervert."

Natsu smirked. "Says the girl who almost flashed me her boobs."

"I DID NOT!"

He chuckled before accepting to take the note from her hand. His eyes scanned the piece of paper and an angry snarl made its way to his face. "What the fuck is this?!"

She shrugged, trying to ignore the discomfort bubbling in her stomach. "A clue I hope."

"I don't trust it!" The gamer stated before moving his hands in front of her. "I bet it's not even in your inventory."

He must have checked because he growled a few seconds later. "Just like I thought."

"It's the only thing we have so far…" Lucy told him. The two went silent; each one thinking of a possible solution for the note and its meaning.

'…_man that had brought so much despair...'_

A brief glimpse of the back of the video game case flashed before her.

'…_powerful mage….dark past…the online world…'_

'…_brought so much despair into our world…'_

'…_the online world…'_

"NATSU!" She exclaimed. The boy looked frightened but she paid no mind. "What's the name of the main villain?!"

"Huh?!"

"The main villain! What's his name?! It's the name in the back of the case!"

"Lucy I'm not following-"

The girl released a loud annoyed groan. "The powerful mage with a dark past! It's in the back of your Fairy Tail video game case! What's his name?!"

Recognition passed through his gaze but he was hesitant on his answer. "Zeref?"

"Yes him! Natsu this note has to be a clue to who we have to defeat so I can leave. Think about it; the note says we are facing the man that had brought so much despair into our world; our world refers to the online one. Who better to bring despair then the main villain mentioned? It's obviously the powerful mage with the dark past; Zeref!"

Natsu gave her a horrified look. She ignored it and continued. "He's the one we have to defeat! I know it!"

"Luce…" He struggled to speak. "…it's impossible."

"No it's not! We'll just ask Mira where he's located and-"

"Luce, no one wants to defeat Zeref!" He snapped.

His dark tone caused her to stop talking. She gave him a look of disbelief before he growled lowly.

"…you have to understand something. In Fairy Tail, even though the whole point of the game is to defeat Zeref, no one tries to."

She could feel her excitement diminish.

"Why?" The female inquired quietly. The confusion and helplessness shown on her face made the boy in the real world feel like the biggest jerk in the universe.

He sighed. "First of all, Zeref is level 100. That's the strongest level in the game and no one has achieved it, not even the staff. But it's not the power level that scares people off; it's what happens when you lose."

She waited patiently for his next words.

"If you lose to Zeref, the game restarts and you start all over."

Shock paralyzed her from responding. She only stared at him in disbelief.

"That's why no bothers to fight him. Losing everything you've worked hard on is a risk no one wants to take. Heck not even I want to go against Zeref if it means I lose everything I've done."

His face reflected the sorrow he was feeling. "I'm sorry Lucy, but it's impossible."

The blonde dropped her head into her hands. She let out a shaky breath and remained quiet. A few tears trailed down her face but she didn't notice. Feelings of frustration and vulnerability mixed inside her; the combination made her feel pathetic.

In her mind she screamed it wasn't fair. Just when it looked like there was a solution there just had to be a drawback. Was she truly destined to be trapped in a video game for the rest of her life? No more school; no more food; no more clothes shopping; no more cooking; no more days of staying up and watching television. No more laughing and cuddling with her best friend. She listed more things that she wouldn't be able to do. In this situation was she even truly living?

She sniffed before registering that there was a hand on her head. Peering up, she noticed a now standing Natsu through her glossy eyes; the girl saw the determination blazing out of him.

"I'm going to get you out of here and back to the real world. I promise."

He was serious; she knew. When he had that look in his eye, he always accomplished what he set out to do.

Hope replaced all the negative emotions.

While wiping away her tears, the brown eyed girl smiled. "Thank you." She breathed.

He gave her cheeky grin and she returned it.

Just for a moment, they believed that somehow everything was going to be okay.

However and all too soon, the male released a loud yawn.

Lucy chuckled. "I'm guessing it's late. Maybe you should get some rest."

The male stubbornly shook his head. "No way. I just found you; there's no way I'll leaving you so soon."

Heat rose to her cheeks. Despite his sweet words, she knew she had to be tough. The boy might collapse from exhaustion if he stayed up too late. "Don't be an idiot. I'll still be here. Go; you need your sleep."

He pouted. "But-"

"No buts. Go to bed."

Natsu whined. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine. I promise I'll be here when you log back in."

He looked like he was considering it. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Double promise?"

She rolled hers. "Double promise."

The male looked uneasy but nodded anyways. "Okay. I'm holding you to that. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

He hesitated but eventually logged off. Lucy lifted her hand and waved it in front of him. The 'Offline' sign appeared.

She sighed before a tired smile appeared on her face. It took a while but she finally had her friend back.

As she glanced back, she analyzed him. He was extremely realistic; though he could have imagined being whatever he wanted, he chose to be himself. The thought alone brought her great comfort. Seeing him here made her feel like he was really standing besides her.

However, after a few seconds, she started to feel a little uncomfortable with him standing in the middle of the room.

Lucy approached the game character, trying to see if it was possible to have him lie on the couch or move him to another location when his eyes snapped open.

"AHHHHHHHH" The blonde screamed before stumbling back. "WHAT THE HELL NATSU!"

"Sorry!" He said while grinning sheepishly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"THEN WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE?!"

She dropped the 'pissed-off' attitude when she saw the pink haired boy look down at the floor in an embarrassed manner. A light rose color lingered on his cheeks as he scratched the back of his head. "I just…wanted to double check…that you would still be here…"

Lucy stared at him in surprise before a look of empathy crossed her face. She had forgotten this situation was difficult for him as well. Can she blame him for wanting to make sure that his recently discovered best friend wasn't going to go missing again?

The smaller being stood in front of the avatar; her hand brushed his spiked bangs away from his forehead. Then she gave him a beautiful smile. "Thank you Natsu but I'll be here when you come back, just like I promised. You don't have to worry okay?"

His eyes met hers. He must have gotten the message because slowly he nodded and breathed, "Okay."

They stared at each other for some time; neither wanted to move. It was only when Lucy noticed that her hand was still in his head that they broke eye contact.

Feeling that her action caused some awkwardness, she pulled away to avoid more of it. He seemed to be experiencing the same thing because he pulled away as well.

"I-I'm going to put my avatar in my room, that way he doesn't look like a creeper standing around in the middle of the living room." The fire mage character stated before moving to a closed door.

"O-Okay." She cursed her shutter. Why was she still nervous?

"Your room is down the hallway past the kitchen."

She wondered if it was the same room she awoke in on her first day.

He paused in front of his destination and looked back at her. "Oh! And before I forget; you can use Happy while I'm away. He's in my room."

The girl blinked. "Happy?"

Natsu grinned. "He's a blue cat. You'll like him and he can keep you safe while I'm not around."

Honestly, he was too sweet when he wanted to be. "Thank you Natsu." She said warmly.

The smile never disappeared off his face. They said goodnight before he went into his room.

She stayed in the living room for a few seconds longer. Her eyes traveled all over the place. She had to admit; the house was beautiful. The furniture looked of high quality; everything was clean and extremely organized. Yet somehow she knew something was off.

Despite all the elegant furniture and perfectness of the home, Lucy sensed loneliness in the virtual house.

She smirked humorlessly; yes, she would know after all.

* * *

**A/N: When I was typing all the names of the people who reviewed, I almost wanted to cry from happiness. Recently I haven't been getting much feedback so to read that people still wanted me to continue writing made my day. Follows/Favorites make me happy but it's people who take the time to tell me their thoughts that really make me smile. Thank you for the motivation my friends.**

**CatsCradle22, TheGoldenDragonofFiore, StellarHeaven, **

**Guest85 (Guest- thanks for sharing your opinion with me on what you thought of the anime :) )**

**AbsentAngel, Robastar34, Speedy60704, KitKatGirl159, FDsecretart, **

**Guest (Guest- Thank for your following my story and telling me you like the plot and characters :) )**

**Sawakaze-Steph16, Mek Night, ForeverDreamer12, Serenity's Pandamonium, **

**ChuChu43, CommanderShiny, Purity Ruined, AlexMegumi29/lollilollicandypop, **

**Person (Guest- Thanks for agreeing with me on the whole anime rant :) )**

**Amehanaa, Searching for my Rushmore, Takamiya Sakura, **

**Guest (Guest- I'm going to answer your question in a second :) )**

**Chiharu Himeji, Breadfast, AnimexFreakz 0.o, PaRaMOrE-0394, ishould-stab-u,**

**Fairyglitter101, PieLover139, Readywolf02, Thalmor, **

**Guest (Guest- sorry I don't mean to make you cry. Sorry X( )**

**Justanotherdreamgirl, OgaxHilda, ChaosxXx,, brooke0315,**

**Panda7180, Cindy M 19, Guest (Guest- I'm honored that I'm your favorite author ^^)**

**Portaalipentu, chokecherries, cloudettenerie, Blue0203, **

**revenge100802, flowergirl2988 and manga4eva**

**(THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE)**

* * *

**(There's going to be a lot of notes so please bare with me)**

**So I've been getting a lot of comments about how this story reminds them of Sword Art Online and one person directly asked me if I was inspired to make the game by Sword Art Online. To answer your questions; it's a yes and no.**

**No, I WASN'T inspired to write this story because of Sword Art Online. I was actually inspired by idevourbooks's "The Invisibles" (if you've read her story you're probably looking at this one and then at hers before going 'what the cranberries!- they're two completely different stories!) One day I'll tell you my full thought process; just not now because it will contain spoilers.**

**Once I had my plot and the ending figured out, I did research and remembered how the world of Sword Art Online worked. I really liked it so I thought I could make "Fairy Tail" the game work like SAO. I hope this makes sense.**

**...**

**Story Notes: **

**There is a reason why I had Lucy explain how they met rather than showing a flashback. Just trust me okay ;)**

**If you remember from Chapter 2, the field of view (FOV) of the game was like a third person perspective. I noticed in a lot of role-playing games (RPG) that the perspective is third person. However, I thought it would be awkward to have a serious conversation while staring at a tiny person so I made it in the game that when you talk to someone the perspective switches to first person POV. **

**Lucy's outfit doesn't have pockets (I checked) and that brown key bag is really tiny and exposed (I own one) so the note would have definitely fallen out if she put it there. **

**...**

**Before I forget, thank you to everyone who voted on my poll. I greatly appreciate it. I do have some bad news and I feel like a jerk for saying it. ****The winning choice was decided by one vote- no joke. However, when I created that poll I had in mind that I would finish all my requests during December and then focus on three multiple chapter Nalu stories during 2015. That didn't happen. I realize I am in no position to start another multiple chapter story soon (this doesn't mean it won't happen). I just want to finish all my requests first before starting a new story. However, as an apology for delay, I will be making a LONG Nalu one-shot with child Natsu in it. I don't know when it will be up, especially since there is a story I've been wanting to do for months and feel I should get that out of my system first. Thank you for your amazing patience.**

**I apologize that this chapter was shorter than the last one. I believe the next one should be longer because there are multiple scenes. I don't know when the next chapter will be out (mostly because of school, work and oh I lost the notebook that had all my notes for this story and now I have to rewrite everything. Curses T-T) Hopefully everyone enjoyed the Nalu. If you have questions about the story, don't be afraid to ask.**

**If you like this story, or have something to say, please leave a review. Whether you have a fanfiction account or are a guest, you are always welcomed to leave your comments. As I said before, I haven't been getting a lot of feedback recently. My other Nalu multi story has over 100 followers yet around only 10 readers bothered to tell me what they liked in the last chapter. That means roughly 90% of those people don't care about giving me feedback and working with me. I was very disappointed. Please don't let this story become like my other one. **

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed/favorited me or my stories. I've said this a lot and I'll say it again; I appreciate when you take the time to read my stories and show your support.**

**Until next time,**

**Your friend**

**Dark Shining Light**


	6. Day 5- Alliance

(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)

…

…

Chapter 6- Day 5: Alliance

…

…

* * *

Natsu gulped lightly as he approached his teacher. After logging back in and talking to Lucy before he left to school, it was decided that he needed to come up with an excuse of why she wasn't coming to class.

It took a few minutes but he finally managed to come up with one. He just hoped his best friend didn't mind having the chickenpox before sadly experiencing her period right after.

"Totomaru-sensei," He said. He knew he gained the attention of some of his classmates. It was after-school; why couldn't they just leave, the pink haired male thought.

The older man released a loud sigh. "Yes Dragneel?"

"Um…you see," Natsu scratched the back of his head. "The reason Lucy hasn't shown up for class is ahhh…"

"I'm already aware of Ms. Heartfilia's condition." The young instructor said before he stood up.

That statement caught the teen off guard. "Wait! You do?!"

"Yes but now I'm off to a teacher meeting. Please know I wish her the best of luck."

Unfortunately for the pink haired teen, Totomaru dismissed himself before he would inquire what he knew.

* * *

"You!" The librarian shrieked before she marched over to the teenage boy. "If all students weren't allowed access to the library to enhance their learning you would have been banned a long time ago!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Natsu muttered. "It's not like I'd wanna come on my own anyways..."

After emptying his pockets and assuring the tiny woman over and over again that he wasn't going to damage the books, he made his way to the center of the library.

"Where to look..." He mumbled.

The pink haired student searched a few columns, frowning when nothing useful appeared in front of him. So far the only books he was seeing were on nutrition.

He clenched his fists together. Damn it; he wasn't good when it came to this stuff. Books were more of Lucy's thing, not his.

"Need some help?"

Natsu looked over to his right and saw a short girl with curly blue hair. She wore his uniform and had an orange bandanna to keep her hair up.

"Ahhh...yeah. I'm looking for books on gaming...oh and weird stuff!" The male stated.

She blinked.

"Well...with gaming I can help you. You're going to have to be more specific when it comes to 'weird stuff.'"

The girl took him to another section of the library. "When looking for books, always make sure that you're in the right section. There are only fiction and non-fiction books here." She pointed to the wooden side of a self. "Our books are organized on subject and by the letter of the author's last name."

She stood in of a row of books and pointed to a white section on the side. "For every book, there's an abbreviation of letters, call number and author's last name. If you're looking for books on video gaming, make sure it says 'GV' okay?"

Natsu blinked. "Ahhh sure. Right. Thanks"

Well at least he could remember where all the gaming books were now.

"If you need anymore help just ask okay?" The blunette smiled. "I'm a volunteer so I should have most of your answers."

He returned the grin. "Okay thanks!"

"LEVY!"

A shout from two boys were heard before a loud 'QUIET' followed right after.

She sighed. "Now what did they do...anyways, I have to go. I'll see you around." Levy stated before she rushed down the aisles.

He waved cheerfully before looking back at the shelf. There were a lot of books on video games. He honestly didn't want to stay here and read them when he could be spending time with his best friend in Fairy Tail. The male wondered if he could persuade the old woman to let him take these books home...

Probably not. But it would be worth the try he thought .Slowly he released a mischievous grin.

Yes, it will _definitely_ be worth the try.

* * *

Lucy hummed as she searched another case.

"Nothing written here either..." She mumbled before closing the blank book. The blonde should have expected this to be the case. Who would want to read a book in a virtual world? She guessed this library was just for show.

"Come on Happy!" The girl called out to the blue cat that was sitting on a chair.

"Aye sir!" He answered before trailing behind her.

She giggled. Natsu was right; the cat was good company. And it was pretty cute when it begged for fish; despite it begging every fifteen minutes.

Lucy exited the building marched down the streets of Magnolia. Funny, a few days ago she would have been too scared to touch anything in this world. But now, it was almost natural for her to travel all over the city without a care.

'_Is it sad that I'm okay with this?' _ She pondered in the middle of the street.

Something hit her leg. The girl blinked and looked down to see Happy rubbing his head, stating that he was in pain.

"Ouch!" He whined. The brown eyed teen chuckled. "Sorry Happy; I'll be more careful okay?"

"Aye!"

They reached the house in no time. Even within the home, the cat continued to follow her. She wondered how Natsu got him to stop. She plopped onto the couch and the blue creature stood by her.

The blonde wondered what she should do in the meantime. She already explored the home; nothing too entertaining besides the room filled with bizarre things. Judging by how disorganized it was, it was most likely a storage room of some sorts.

But she already spent the day looking through the items and she didn't want Natsu to panic if she wasn't in the room by the time he logged back on.

She turned her attention to the cat, which had his eyes locked onto her.

"So…" Lucy asked awkwardly. "Do you like anything besides fish?"

"Aye!"

"Really? Like what?"

"Aye!"

"That's…not a food."

"Aye!"

"You're not meant to have conversations with, are you?"

"Aye!"

She groaned loudly before she slammed her head against the couch. "So…bored…" The girl whined loudly.

"Aye!"

An angry mark appeared on her forehead. "Shut it you stupid cat!"

"Hey don't be mean to Happy."

She looked up and spotted her best friend looking over the couch, giving her a disappointed look.

"Natsu!" Lucy sprang from the sofa. Her face flushed from embarrassment. "You're back."

"Yeah. Sorry I took so long. I got books from the library like you told me to!" The pink haired avatar beamed.

"Really?! Did you find anything?" She asked with an excited demeanor.

The male looked taken back. "Wait. I was supposed to read them?!" He exclaimed in a horrified manner.

Her smile dropped. The urge to smack her partner dramatically increased. "Of course you idiot! How am I supposed to when I'm stuck in the game?! You-" She was prepared to lecture him further when she spotted his repressed smile. The girl paused her rambling and that's when Natsu released a mighty laugh. "You should have seen your face Luce!"

He laughed a little longer, which only influenced the blonde's embarrassment. "Natsu! It's not funny!"

"Yes it was. You honestly thought I wouldn't read the books!"

The celestial mage pouted before crossing her arms and demanded, "Well did you find anything or not?"

His chuckles diminished and a frown took over his face. "No. Not from I've read so far. But I still have other books so maybe the answer is in one of them."

Somehow they both knew it was very unlikely. She nodded anyways. "Okay."

A heavy silence lingered in the atmosphere. The girl was organizing her thoughts when she heard Natsu open the front door. She stared at him in confusion but he merely gave her a cheeky grin. "Come on. Let's go on a mission. We won't find the answer just standing here."

Lucy smiled softly and ran after him. Once she, Happy and the dragon slayer were out of the house, Natsu closed the door and the trio walked down the streets.

"Oh! What happened on our last mission? You know, after I…" She didn't finish the sentence.

"Passed out?" He offered. "Well, you were transported to the infirmary automatically and I used an item to get me out of that place."

The blonde grimaced. "I'm sorry I couldn't help."

"Don't sweat it. We'll beat them next time." Natsu told her with a reassuring smile.

She blinked. "Next time?"

"Yeah. Those guys were up to something so we're going to go back to that island and kick their asses!"

"But what makes you so sure they'll still be there? Surely they would have left." The seventeen year old questioned.

"Nah. Something tells me they're still there. Not many staff members monitor that area so it would make a good hiding place for messed up gamers." He advised.

"Messed up gamers?" She questioned.

"Yeah. See, whenever you die in the game, you reset to your guild's infirmary. But when you lose to another player, some of your items are scattered as a consequence for losing. Then those players take the stuff. A bunch of gamers will join together and ambush another player to steal. I think it's stupid and messed up that they would rather take stuff than work hard on your own character." The male stated that with a disgusted tone.

"That's terrible." To think she was walking around the town like she was invincible. She felt like an idiot.

The dragon slayer avatar noticed her new fallen expression and quickly added. "But that stuff only happens where staff members don't investigate. Big cities and famous guilds usually have the staff everywhere."

Lucy nodded. Her eyes scanned the streets and she noticed just how many people there were. "So…some of these civilians can actually be Fairy Tail representatives?"

"You got it."

She allowed the new information to process into her brain. She felt safer walking in Magnolia now. However, she now knew she had to be more cautious around places like Galuna Island. She believed the only way to battle was to approach your opponent and the desire to fight would be equal; never did she think other people would be heartless enough to ambush for the heck of it.

They walked in silence. Lucy was thinking about the things Natsu told her before something else stole her attention.

Her eyes widened and eagerly she tugged on 'Salamander's arm. "Is that a clothes shop?!"

The pink haired male blinked. "Yeah?"

"Can we please go?" She begged. "It feels so weird wearing the same clothes everyday. And since everyone has a different outfit, I think it's possible for me to change."

"Well of course it's possible. I mean, I was the one who gave you that outfit." He pointed out. "Are you sure you want to change? I think those are nice."

Lucy detected a bit of hurt in his voice. "It's not that I don't like it; it just feels...so weird not changing. Do you understand?"

"No."

Her eye twitched. However the male continued to talk. "But if it's what you want, I'll help!"

He moved his hand in front of him; the celestial wizard had gotten used to his 'start menu' pose.

"I have some extra outfits in my storage. I don't think you'll like these better but here we go!" He grinned before selecting an item.

A bright light lite her body and before Lucy knew it, she was wearing a new wardrobe.

"A MAID?!" She exclaimed with great embarrassment. The skirt was a little too high up and she found herself pulling down on the material to make sure nothing private was showing.

"You know, I like it." Natsu commented teasingly. "Maybe you should start calling me master! Huh Luce?"

"Like hell! Change my outfit now!" The female squealed.

"Fine." He mumbled grumpily. He clicked on another invisible icon. The light reappeared and this time Lucy was more horrified with her new guise.

"Don't tell me." She touched the top of her head and discovered there were rabbit ears.

"What kind of messed up bunny suit is this?!" The girl quickly covered her assets in hopes that none of the citizens would see them. Seriously, a red corset and gray leggings don't make a bunny.

"Maybe this one?" The fire mage chimed in helpfully. She stood in a white bunny kind of hoodie/one piece. She yelped and stood up straight, doing her best to cover her bottom.

This continued with the rest of the outfits until Lucy was left in nothing but white undergarments.

"AHHH- WHO WOULD MAKE CLOTHES LIKE THIS?!" The girl cried as she sat down and tried to block the view from any peeping people.

"Isn't it obvious?" Natsu raised an eyebrow in her direction, and looked at her like she didn't know the answer to one of life's easiest questions. "It was obviously a pervert."

She was quiet. Then her teeth clenched and she cracked her knuckles loudly.

* * *

The pink haired gamer could only stare at his television in horror as he watched his best friend beat up his avatar. He winced as she 'Lucy kicked' him across the street. He had no idea where she learned that from but he knew he'll have to watch out for it in real life..

For now, he'll just have to take his character to the Fairy Tail infirmary.

After he changes her back to her original outfit of course.

* * *

Lucy had to admit she was feeling a lot better about her public wardrobe display incident the moment she saw Natsu's avatar in motion sickness mode.

'_Serves him right.' _She thought smugly.

"You're enjoying this too much." Natsu commented. His face changed colors, looking more green then ever.

"Maybe." She giggled. "How does it feel to see yourself like this?"

"You know what, I think this a good time to eat." The male stated instead. "Be right back."

"It better not be junk food."

"Ahhh..."

The offline sign appeared in front of the dragon slayer and the girl yelped when she felt the sign's force push her back slightly.

She huffed in annoyance but continued to watch her partner's face change colors. It was amusing at first but after watching for some time, she grow less interested in the hues and focused more on the individual.

'_I hope he's eating something home cooked and not from the convenient store. He's eighteen yet can't use a stove to save his life. I wonder if he's-'_

The offline sign disappeared. "Can you not stare at me Luce. It's kind of creepy." Natsu inquired when he logged back in.

Her face went red in few seconds. "I wasn't staring!"

"You're such a prevert Lucy, huh Happy?"

"Aye!"

"Don't bring that stupid cat into this!" She had forgotten the blue 'Exceed' was even with them.

The boat stopped and instantly the pink haired avatar looked better. "About time!" He cheered as they walked off the boat.

"Okay. Let's ask people if they saw those weirdos. But stay close. Once I start talking to someone, my screen will focus on them so I don't want to lose you while we chat with them."

Lucy nodded and followed the other teen as they approached a group of players. They asked them some questions and listened to their answers. They repeated the process yet none of their collected data was useful. After a few minutes, the pair stopped and took some time to talk amongst themselves.

"Okay. So no one seems to know anything about the gamers we faced." The girl stated with a disappointed tone.

"Arrrrggg...those bastards! They should just come out and fight me!" Natsu roared.

"Are you looking for someone?"

The two yelped and spun around, spotting an elderly purple skinned creature. He merely blinked.

"You scared us." Lucy breathed as she held a hand over her heart.

"My apologies. I overhead you talking about a group and I pondered if the individuals you encountered where the same ones I did."

"We're looking for a group of three. Two of them call themselves Yuka and Toby. We didn't catch the other person's name though." She explained.

"I think that might have been Lyon."

Their eyes widen and hastily they asked, "Wait. You know them?!"

The man looked away. "To some point yes. One looks like a dog and the other has enormous eyebrows, yes?"

"Yeah. You're totally right." She nodded. "So how do you know them?"

"It's a long, embarrassing story." He muttered almost shamefully. "But I suppose you have already gone through what I have so it should be no big deal."

"Gone through what exactly?"

He stared at them in confusion. "You mean...your money wasn't stolen?"

"Huh?"

"It wasn't stole from your account?" The purple male questioned further.

"Not that I'm aware of." Lucy turned to her partner who shook his head. "Everything fine with me."

"I see. Then may I ask why you're looking for them?"

"We have some unfinished business with them." Natsu answered as he slammed one fist into his palm.

"You said money was stolen from your account. Do you want to talk about it?" The female inquired with concern.

The stranger looked down before scanning the area. "Well since no one is around, then perhaps I can tell you. I'll explain very briefly what occurred. First of all, I'm not actually an old man, I'm fifteen."

"I figured that much." The dragon slayer nodded wisely.

Lucy shot him a 'are you serious' look. However, he didn't notice.

"To play this game, I used my mother's credit card." The elderly figure explained. "My character wasn't always this one. I used to have a strong, red one. But one day, I encountered this girl. She looked around my age; she had pink hair and this giant rat. When we battled, she nearly kicked my ass." The blonde mage heard low chuckles from her friend and she nearly rolled her eyes. Yes, this elderly figure cursed but that didn't mean it was hilarious.

"Just when I thought she was going to finish me off, she gave me a potion. I was surprised; but then she told me she thought I had good potential. I guess I let her words get to me. We talked and she invited me to go on a mission with her friends; that's when I met Toby and Yuka. I only knew about Lyon because she had asked if he was going to play with us. Yuka had said that he was busy. So we went on a quest and they were so cool! Their moves were amazing! They told me that they could help me improve my character. All they needed was my account info and they would update my character for me. I wasn't sure at first but they persuaded me, saying my character would look so much better and have stronger moves."

The purple stranger looked away; his posture imitating someone who was ashamed. "And I gave them my email and password. One week later, my mom told me that her credit card information had been stolen and someone managed to get a hold of her account and emptied it with so many purchases. All the purchases had a one-day shipping so who ever used it sent it to random houses. At first, it didn't click. Then when I logged back into Fairy Tail, I saw that my character had never been updated. Then I remembered my Fairy Tail account had my mother's information."

Lucy released a tiny gasp but the guilt increased within the other player. "I never told my mother what I did and that I knew how they got her information."

"Did you contact Fairy Tail?"

"I did but..."

"There's nothing they could really do." The pink haired wizard grumbled besides her.

"He's right. I only had their first name so there was nothing they could really do."

"Surely, you could have pointed them out with the help of a representative." She reasoned.

"People can change their outfits; you know that Luce. They probably would have just changed their entire image to avoid being caught. Like he said, he only had a first name and there's probably a bunch of guys named the same thing."

The girl let her gaze drift to the floor in disappointment. "I guess you're right..." A small silenced passed through the group. However, the blonde's eyes widened before she quickly turned to her partner. "But wait, if you're so sure they're hiding, how do you know we'll be able to find them?"

"We saw it ourselves; they are strong, which tells me they spent a lot of time playing. They might be thieves but they're also gamers, and we take pride in doing what we do." Her best friend finished cheerfully.

Unconsciously, she sent him a gentle smile.

Natsu turned to face both individuals. "They probably hide themselves for a few weeks and once the attention is off them, they go back to their original selves. And since we technically lost," The male grimaced at the word. "They probably thought we wouldn't be looking for them anymore."

At first she appeared dumbfounded by his train of thought but now that she thought about it, the more possible it seemed. She was even impressed. "I swear if you put as much effort in your classes as you do with this game, you'd be passing with flying colors."

He sent her an annoyed look. "That sounds boring and lame. Why would I want to watch colors pass by when I can play this awesome game instead?!"

Lucy blinked repeatedly before sighing and shaking her head. "Never mind. You're a lost cause after all."

"Hey! What happened to all that flying color crap?!"

"It wasn't crap! It was a-"

As the two bickered, the purple monster only watched in silence. He didn't want to interfere in their lover's spat but at the same time he wanted to move forward and discuss the thieves.

For the first time, the fifteen year old player saw the blue cat. Not wanting to stand awkwardly any longer, he whispered to the feline.

"Are they always like this?"

"Aye."

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy wondered through the forest section of Galuna Island.

"Why did you promise him that we'd bring him justice?" 'Him' referring to the stranger in the village and 'them' referring to the group they were trying to catch. "We don't even know if we'll find them."

"Of course we will! We're team Natsu! Now hush, my dragon senses won't trigger if you keep talking."The male stated before walking ahead.

The girl looked at him in disbelief. "Team Natsu? Dragon Senses?! Argh! I don't even understand what's happening anymore!" But her friend never replied, and she huffed angrily before following. They walked for a few minutes in the dark; it was dark for her anyways. She wondered how the scene looked on Natsu's television screen.

Though she felt uneasy being in a forest at night, she began to feel more uncomfortable when she realized Natsu was probably watching her.

A small 'crack' echoed in their location and Lucy unconsciously yelped before clenching on her partner's arm.

"Did you hear that?" She timidly asked.

"Yeah. It's nothing to be scared off though. Noises like that happen to keep gamers on their toes and not make it awkwardly silent."

"Oh..." Pink appeared on her cheeks. Before she could untangle herself from his arm, the dragon slayer lightly said, "Look up at the sky."

She blinked in confusion but did what she was told.

Instantly her eyes widened and a smile manifested on her face. If she thought Magnolia at night was beautiful, then the sky over the island was simply gorgeous. Multiple stars of different sizes twinkled, and the giant grin she had never faded.

"It's beautiful."

"Yeah. The game programmers really worked hard on it. I think they even got an award."

"I can see why. It's amazing." They stared at the sky and even though Natsu couldn't provide any physical comfort, holding his arm was enough for her.

Unfortunately, their peace ended the moment the pink haired player yelled out "Get down!"

Lucy yelped as both teens collapsed onto the floor. They barely missed the ice attack that was thrown at them.

"What was-" She didn't even finish her sentence as Natsu yelled "Fire Dragon Roar!"

"Ice Make: Shield!"

She watched in amazement as the flames collided with the ice barrier. It appeared that they cancelled themselves out. Suddenly she remembered their smallest teammate and sighed in relief when she saw Happy still trailing behind Natsu. The girl quickly stood up and opened her menu. She looked under her allies names.

'SALAMANDER' – online

'HAPPY'

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – offline

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! – offline

(Virgo) PLZ PUNISHMENTIME DX – offline.

_'No one's online.'_ She panicked. The blonde looked back to their opponent and finally caught a glimpse of him when he charged at the tan-skinned boy. Both male's fists met before they realized who the other was.

"Gray?!"

"Natsu!"

They pulled back. Their health bars were still displayed but they weren't fighting anymore.

"What are you doing here?" The dragon slayer demanded.

"On a mission; I play this." Gray replied back. "Didn't expect a loser like you to though."

"Who are you calling a loser ice princess?!" He snarled back.

"Ice princess?! Is that the best you got flamehead?!"

"I could ask you the same thing frost-"

"Okay! That's enough!" Lucy yelled, causing both males to stop. Though they were still glaring, the black haired boy looked away to address her instead.

"Oh. Hey Lucy." Their classmate casually greeted. "Didn't know you played this too."

"Yeah..." She smiled nervously. "Just...recently got into it."_ 'Like Literally.'_

"So..." The girl continued before he could say anything further; like point out her absence from school. "You said you were on a mission."

"Yeah. I'm on a personal quest." He replied back casually.

"So are we." Natsu boasted.

"Yeah right. You probably just got lost on the island." He taunted the fire mage. As an effect, 'Salamander' growled.

"No we aren't! Come on Lucy! Let's leave this bastard behind and find those two guys and their boss Lionel." He spat; no doubt trying to prove he was on a mission by giving out some information.

However, a sweat-drop appeared on her forehead when she heard the incorrect name. "I'm pretty sure the guy said it was Lyon."

Before she could take a step towards her partner, their former opponent turned his head in her direction. "What do you know about a Lyon?"

The intense glare he shot her caused her breath to hitch up and momentarily forget to breathe. Seeing that she wasn't answering him, he approached her in an almost threatening manner. Not a second later, Natsu appeared in front of the girl, protecting her from his classmate.

"Why the hell do you care?"

Gray didn't reply right away; when he did he said,"Finding Lyon is part of my personal quest. Any information on him will help."

The celestial mage peered over from her friend's shoulder. "But how do you know it's the same Lyon?"

"I guess I won't until I see him." Was his response. Lucy frowned; she detected a hint of depression in his tone. Sympathy spread through her like butter on bread; she knew what it was like to wonder alone in the game without any help.

Before she could fully process the outcomes of her idea, she blurted out "Why don't you come with us?"

Both boys gawked at her. "What?!"

Lucy nodded; now more confident with her idea. "We're all looking for someone; why not work together to find them?"

"Sorry Lucy but I won't work with this idiot." Gray declined with his head facing the other direction.

"You're just mad because you wouldn't be any use to us." The dragon slayer commented back.

"Are you saying that you're better than me?!" He went up to the pink haired character and nearly butted his head against his.

"Like a thousand times better!" Natsu reported before doing the same thing.

"ENOUGH!" The female of the group screamed. She gave them a deadly glare which sent a shiver down both their spines in real life. Maybe having awesome graphic effects isn't such a good thing after all, they thought.

"You guys need to stop speaking from your asses and listen to logic." Lucy pointed to her best friend. "You and I both know there's three or more people in the group we're trying to find. We're going to need help when we face them again."

She ignored her best friend's tiny 'we can take them' comment in favor of waving her finger in Gray's face. "From what I've gathered, you don't have much of a lead. You need help trying to find this guy."

The black haired teen opened his mouth to protest but just one look caused him to shut it. Lucy placed her hands on her hips as she waited for their response. However, they still refused to see eye to eye.

She sighed. "Come on guys. Let's just give it a try. What do we have to lose?"

Neither said anything. She heard Natsu release a large breath of air. "Fine. But just this once. And don't try anything funny snowman."

The other male rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I should be the one telling you not to do anything stupid." Before his classmate could comment further, he waved his hand in the air. "Just tell me your avatar's name already."

Natsu groaned and crossed his arms. "Salamander."

Gray pressed his lips together to avoid releasing a chuckle; his action caused the other male to bristle in defense. "What's so funny?"

He looked like he wanted to make a rude remark but once glance at Lucy made his expression change. Instead, he said. "Nothing. It just suits you is all."

"What hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Rather than answer his question, the lighter skinned student turned his attention to the girl. "What about your name?"

She gulped. Gray asked for an avatar name; she didn't know hers. She had given her name to Virgo and that seemed to work in forming a contract. "Lucy Heartfilia."

He looked at her in surprise. "It's your actual name. That's a pretty ballsy thing to do."

"Yeah…I don't know why I would do such a thing…" She turned her head in her best friend's direction. In return, Natsu rubbed the back of his head nervously.

Now in her line of vision was a giant message box. '_Fullbuster___Ice_ would like to be Allies. Accept or Reject?'

_'Fullbuster Ice?'_ That must be Gray's name. She clicked on the obvious choice. The next words made her smile.

'Congratulations! _Fullbuster_____Ice_ is now your Ally.'

* * *

**A/N: ****OMG! YOU GUYS ARE FREAKNING AMAZING! 1****76**** REVIEWS AND OVER 200 FOLLOWERS?! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! –bows head repeatedly- I swear if you guys were in front of me I would have hugged EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!**

**Major thanks to the reviewers. Your comments always make my day and inspire me to continue writing. THANK YOU-**

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* * *

**Notes: Fairy Tail is sort of like World of Warcraft where you have to pay every month for it's service, hence why there was a credit card number in the system. Happy is still there but he's often forgotten. Gray's username is _Fullbuster_Ice _just the underlining doesn't let you see it. Any questions feel free to ask.**

**I apologize for my absence in the last few months. Life has been busy- classes require a lot of attention and I've been promoted as a supervisor at my work so now I rarely have any free time...which means the next chapter won't be up for awhile longer. However, the good news is that the next chapter will be super long and I may or may not have to break it up into two.**

**I do have some good news; I have a Tumblr account- my name is ff-darkshininglight- and I'm going to start publishing stories and artwork there. My goal is every time I write a story there will be an art piece to go with it. And that includes this story as well! So feel free to check it out!**

**I think that's everything- THANK YOU SO MUCH for constantly encouraging me to continue writing. You guys are my main reason why I continue to write Nalu fanfiction- don't hesitate to leave your comments in a review. Even if I don't reply, just know that I'll still read your comments and will be giving you a shout out in the next chapter! Yes, even if you are a guest :)**

**Take care everyone,**

**Until next time**

**Your friend**

**Dark Shining Light**

**P.S. Happy Free Comic Book Day!**


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